Ash for Cash

Keane W.

Charcoal on Paper, Procreate

• Artist Statement

  Inspired by the Chinese idiom. "焚林而猎" (burning the forest to hunt"), and my father’s environmentalism, I wanted to portray the destructive nature of greed. Capitalism often takes many shortcuts to achieve short-term benefit and technological advancements at the cost of long-term loss or unsustainability. I used charcoal to achieve the smoky effect of the sky and digitally overlaid color to create a dark image that emphasizes how the intensity and scale of economic growth comes at the expense of nature.

• Creative Statement

  I express my creativity by layering multiple ideas into each other and creating something visual through imagery and symbolism to share something beautiful with the world. Hayao Miyazaki's carefully rendered animations have fueled my creativity through his strategic use of color and composition.