Eco-Art Competition 2022

Growing up in the Methodist church, I was taught from a young age that from ash we came, and to ash, we will return. Such concepts inspired my entry for this Eco-art competition. When I was in the sixth grade my family and I settled down onto a 40-acre farm. Having lived here for seven years now, I have watched as the land around me has gradually become urbanized. Who knows what will remain of the magnificent countryside in merely a decade? The prompt, “plant the seed” is more than just the promise of the good that will come with nourishing the Earth, but a warning of what happens if we do not give back to Mother Nature. I display three figures in my art. Two figures appear uprooted, their heads dismembered and their eyes blackened. They have not planted themselves in the soil, leaving them dry and lifeless. Consequently, the figure in the center is planted firmly in the ground. From her eye, she sprouts a watercolor plant. The plant represents life, a gift we are given but must give back. Taking care of the land we have ensures life for both the present and the future. However, if we neglect this gift, it is back to the ashes that we will return. I hope that my work will invoke thought. I have not created a straightforward piece, its meaning is intentionally up to interpretation. The most important element is the life and prosperity that partners with planting the seed. If that much is conveyed to the viewer then I consider my work to be a success.