Fantasy Jars

Alexis S.

Watercolor

• Artist Statement

  In my art piece I painted a depressed mermaid trapped in a jar. I was inspired to create this when I went to a museum and saw jars of preserved animals. In my painting however, I wanted my creatures alive. I imagined a cruel collector who trapped mythical creatures in jars to display on their shelf. I thought about how miserable it would feel to barely have any room to move, to be trapped, and scared. I channeled those feeling through my brush, painting layers and layers of colors, and when stepped back I gazed upon the mermaid’s face and wished for her freedom.

• Creative Statement

  Creativity is everything to me. It’s the way I dress when I wake up in the morning, the doodles in the margins of my notes, and the vivid paintings that I create. Creativity fuels my life, it allows me to walk, to breathe, to live. Without it I’d be nothing.