Below I've attached two pieces of artwork! One is titled "Wood Workers" and the other is titled "Dentist Visit". The first was created at my leisure, and the second was created for school, both have many inspirations. "Wood Workers" was inspired by wood processing plants stationed in the forest and the methods used by employees to harvest trees. The piece takes my own feelings of environmental damage to forests and nature and presents them in an easily digestible and humorous way. Animals take the place of humans for a satirical and lighthearted view of a grim topic, deforestation. I have a passion for animals and nature alongside art and enjoy drawing them whenever I get the chance. Beavers seemed very appropriate for the subject matter. The cartoon stylization took great influence from Looney Tunes, one of my favorite cartoons. In addition, I had always wanted to paint a forest landscape on a beautiful sunny day and capture the feeling I get when out on a leisurely walk. I recalled the farmlands and woods I always saw when visiting my grandmother in North Florida. "Dentist Visit" took from less inspirations, but did take a great deal of thought to complete. I was mostly inspired by the fear of dentists, and my real life experiences with the orthodontists. Having someone poke around your mouth for an extended period of time is uncomfortable for many, and understandably so! Therefore, I thought a crude parody of this feeling would be the making of a great piece. Taking inspiration from the work of Tim Burton and classic Disney cartoons, I designed the characters and environment the piece would take place in. The colors are grimy and dull, inspired by every dingy dentist office I've been in. The props and architecture were inspired by real world dentistry equipment in the early 1900s giving the piece a distinct old and decrepit atmosphere. I chose a Tyrannosaurus to be the patient to create contrast between him and the tiny dentist, and because T-Rexes had the largest teeth of any known dinosaur. I wanted to play on the feeling of being taken advantage of and not being in control, which is how patients usually feel at the dentist. This is examined through the T-Rex being completely incapacitated by laughing gas. The light seeping in through the window was something I always wanted to portray in a piece because of how calming and beautiful I find it. This represents how the T-Rex is completely lost to the gas, leaving the dentist free to remove all his teeth for his hideous collection. I consider both of these pieces to be my finest works so far. The time and effort I put into them really paid off. I feel this way because I was able to incorporate so many of my personal influences. Making them uniquely my own.