Sustained Investigation XIV

Don't Panic

4 in x 4 in

Watercolor, pen, & highlighter on drawing paper

For this assignment, we were asked to create our fourteenth sustained investigation. This project was a little different, as it was the first work of my portfolio where we were practicing remote learning due to COVID-19. While times are harder than normal right now, my inspiration for creating art has skyrocketed, and this situation actually fits in well with my inquiry question. Due to the media and the pandemic in general, those who have anxiety or other mental illnesses may be struggling more than others. It's a very scary time, but with the everyday struggled of anxiety, it can be even scarier. So, for this project, I wanted to convey the way media can be toxic to mental health through use of color and perspective.

The colors I chose were to represent the different types of mental illness that may be worsened due to the current situation. The bright orange I used to highlight the text is to represent the media's constancy in our lives, and how that can be distracting and scary. The texts have two contradictory statements that I have seen in media, which show how it can be very toxic for someone with mental health issues to see.

Overall, I am happy with what I made out fo the few materials that I have at home. I think this is one of my more deep and controversial pieces that I have made, but I think that shows my growth as an artist and my ability to take modern day issues and create art from them.