Silent Watch

Artist Statement

Silent Watch

Kaylee

My piece is about the freedom of life. I chose to research the death penalty for this subject. I used a small canvas to display the stereotypical death penalty, with a slight twist; names on the wall of innocent victims. I started with pencil and drew lightly on the canvas, using a ruler so all the shapes were straight. I also used red, black, grey, and brown fine tipped sharpies. Then I used paint to color in the shapes.

The reason that I wanted to research this subject was because of a human right written about in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “No one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Yet people are still put to death as penalty for crimes. If my art speaks to someone so they recognize the issues induced within the penalty, I can spread awareness for this cause, so we can save lives.

I believe that everyone deserves justice, and if guilty, they should face punishment, but not cruel, inhuman punishment. The research I did and my own thoughts about the death penalty inspired me to create this piece. I read about people who lost members of their family to the death penalty. I feel that if the death penalty ends in all states, it would not only make the world better place, but follow the human rights written about in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.