Introduction

            It’s an early Saturday morning and I am walking in downtown Los Angeles. I noticed a lot of people in the street looking quite a bit suspicious. They look sick and out of sense. Today I will introduce you to a big problem is going around the world and even in the communities in which we live. First, I will be introducing the problem that it is causing. Second, I will talk to you about the harm that the problem causes. Finally I will provide you with a conclusion on such a huge problem. Today I will introduce to you the hidden side to drug addiction.

Today I am providing 4 art pieces in my exhibition that are very straight to the point. The problem with drug addiction is that its affecting the whole entire world. The biggest problem is that drug addiction targets the youth and the youth is the future of our nation. In many cases it is inherited thru bad habits and also through communities in deep poverty. The harm that drug addiction causes is that there is no good outcome to drug usage. In many cases people can end up dead from an overdose. The solution is that people need to build strong relationships. Once the relationship is strong it will them help people make the best choices. It will create drug awareness and our communities need just that to win the battle against drugs.

Piece #1 Letting Go

Piece #1 Letting Go

Summary

The picture above is named “Letting Go” by Margaret Dowell. Through her extraordinary skills she can send a clear purpose and tell the story very intensely. The art that Margaret makes is somewhat of a guide to send a message and a solution to problems depicted in the art. This picture is very interesting because the author shows a woman trying to avoid what seem to be pills. The pills are shown as if they were being aimed and shot straight to her. The pills seem to be different colors; witch can indicate that the pills can be different types. Now a day’s prescription pills have abused at a higher rate than any other generations. The piece also shows the women in what seems to be a hospital gown. Based on the background of the image, it s very hard to find or to identify the exact background. It can potentially be some type of rehab center or even a hospital. When looking at the image, one can assume that she is trying to avoid any contact with the drugs. The picture above also shows the black hair on the women, which can give us and estimated age of the person. The hand of the women is also very red and dirty, this can be if the women is homeless .The author Margaret Dowell has a small collection of paintings. Most of them are similar in the fact that she seems to depict mostly women on her art. Some of her art has to do with women and drugs, prostitution mental illness and other similar setting. The art was made in 2001, a year in which prescription drugs were not much a problem as they are now. It is always amazing when art somehow unfolds the future of a serious problem.

Analysis

I like this image a lot because it says so much. Not only is the main topic of the image shown but also it’s very clear what the message is. This is obviously about an addicted person who is probably very involved in drugs. The positive side that I see to this image is that the woman in the picture is trying to avoid the drugs. Judging the rest of the image is also clear that the woman in the image is trying to stop using these drugs but she is alone in this battle against drugs. The war between the woman and the drugs can easily be won by the drugs. I think the message Is strong and encouraging for the most part. It is encouraging because people who are drug addicts can see this image and see that even though the pressure is there you can always try to avoid drugs. The background of this image also relates to solitude and depression as nothing positive is shown in the background of the image. The only thing that can be seen is pills after pills racing at her. On another not e, this woman can be at some type of rehab center or hospital. This is because she seems to be wearing a gown so maybe she is going thru some type of treatment or detoxification done to her body. Either way you see it, the message is clear. Drugs are not good and because of the outcome she ended up trying to fight against these temptations with drugs. I also think that the woman in this image is covering her face because of being ashamed of being a drug addict. Most people that are drug addicts could never communicate with others while looking at each other’s faces. The woman’s position depicts that may be she is not strong enough to fight her addiction due to the fact that her position is slanted. She is probably weak because of the type of treatment she is going thru, therefore her standing  position shows her  leaning on her left side, maybe she doesn’t have enough strength to stand straight. 

Piece #2 Eyes behind a blinfold

Piece #2 Eyes behind a blindfold

Summary

The image above is called “Eyes behind a blind fold” by artist Karen Thorsten. The picture is very strong and shows a family of 3 having dinner but what really catches the attention in this image is that the family members having dinner are blindfolded. According to the author this image has to do with drug addiction. How someone can put that in to perspective is up to the imagination of the viewers. The image shows a men and a woman eating dinner, I’m assuming they are the parents. It’s very clear that the person in the middle of the image seems to be snorting cocaine from the plate, I assume is a teenager boy that is going thru cocaine addiction and doesn’t have any type of respect of fear for his parents. It is also obvious that what seems to be the parent of the middle character, are having a normal dinner conversation. Karen Thorsten is an award winning writer and filmmaker. She finds her inspiration at the intersections of art and social justice. She finds that art helps her grief as she has los t a loved one. Overall the author is very motivated and inspiring.

Analysis

Eyes behind a blindfold is a very interesting image. I believe that it shows a common problem that a lot of people are ignoring. That is the subject of drug abuse. In the picture, you can say that this is a family of three and while the parents are sitting down having dinner, they are blind to see that their son is doing drugs. One of the main side effects to cocaine use is that you will lose your hunger. The picture is also motivating because it can help families and individuals understand the problem and to face the problem rather than ignoring it. In general I think that the author did a remarkable job with this image because a lot of people fail to face the problems with drug abuse. In a lot of families, denial plays a big role because of the ignorance toward the subject of drugs. I feel a very positive vibe with this image because it can help people open there eyes and remove the blindfold to see the reality about drugs. Unfortunately in many house hold parents refuse to admit that their children are going thru drug abuse or drug addiction.  Art like this is very important to push on the ignorance on the issue that many people are going thru. In some cases parents notice that something is going on with their children but fear for the worst and makes them ignore such a huge problem. As a parent I could imagine that you just never want to see your children in a big issue, that’s probably also another reason parents prefer to be blindfolded and continue their live s as normal as possible. Reality is that by ignoring the problem, the problem will still be there. It is a role that more and more parents should be very open about so that the kids can feel comfortable and have some type of moral support. After all family is all you have and taking advantage of that must be considered.

Piece #3 Inheritance

Summary

The image above is called “inheritance” by Kevin Grass. This picture is depicting genera addiction. The way the artist laid out the point is outstanding. It is a quick and easy way to get the point of what’s being expressed. The image does not show any type of drugs other than alcohol but the general idea is that bad habits and addiction can get inherited from generations to generations. In the art piece you can see that the corpse at the very top is the oldest. He is shown decomposed to the bone. This Is a way of telling that he is dead and the beer bottle in his hand Is passed on to the lower section body. The main point of this art piece is that this habit of alcohol will get passed on thru the stretch of time. This is the case for drugs as well. There is a very interesting point to this art piece and that can be seen in the lower body on the piece and it’s showing a person avoiding to take the beer bottle and is holding a book which seems to be the “Old renaissance Art.”0verall the art piece delivers an outstanding message and the message is clear. Overtime habits like drinking and drug usage will get passed on over time. Generation after generation. Author Kevin Grass showed great details in this work of art. I like the way the art shows four body’s in a bunk type looking bed with four sections. Each section houses a body and at the very top the oldest. The oldest at the top is down to bones; the second one is shown as an old man in his 60s or 70s and looks as if passing out while his hand passes on the beer bottle to the next body. On the next body the image takes a twisting turn for the body still shows signs of life as it is not resting flat on its surface. It s in an upright position and seems o be in the 50s and is handing over the beer bottle over to the last body which rejects the bottle. The last part of this Art piece obviously shows that the inheritance can be stopped.

Analysis

Kevin Grass did a remarkable job with this art piece. The point could not be clearer. Alcohol drugs and bad habits can get passed on from one generation to the next. I like the way the image was laid out because viewers don’t have to break their head to try to understand the point of expression. That is the problem with a lot of other art. Some art can be really hard to break and to understand while this art “inheritance” links the name into the drawings perfectly. My favorite part of the this art piece is that even though alcohol and drugs get passed on over the years, it can also be stopped and that an encouraging think of this art piece. Overall the message is positive and it can deliver hope to many viewers who are in a similar situation weather is drugs or alcohol. The point is that it can be stopped. It may not be easy but if you work hard to do it you can break the cycle.

Piece # 4 Drug Addiction

Summary

This art piece is strong in its message and even the title. It is named “Drug Addiction” by artist

Elyse Love Art and is a Canadian artist who likes to paint in colors and chose to do this piece to deliver a message of a social problem in today’s society. The image is clear and shows a lot of details. It shown a young female in the floor and it seems that she is dead, caused by a drug overdose. It the art piece you can see a lot of drugs in the floor. The most lethal of course will be the injection which most likely had heroin. It does not stop there, in the floor next to her body rests a lot of pills. This pills look different is size and color. A pack of cigarettes can also be seen in the background. The female also has a type of band around her arm, which is very popular by heroin users to do this to expose their veins. This is a very sad art piece because it is not exaggerated. This is reality in its most realistic form. Drug abuse is real and it’s going strong on the community and it young. The girl in this art piece is probably in her early 20s, and has fallen victim to drugs. The point is very straight forward; if you mess with drugs you can die. Drugs also tend to have a patter in which mixing drugs is common in users. Mixing drugs is a lethal mix and should be avoided at all times. Unfortunately once addicted to such drugs its hard for individuals to make proper judgment and in their pursuit of the perfect high they end up mixing various drugs and also heavy doses. The message is strong and clear, stay away from drugs.

Summary

The point of this art piece is scary real. Death will come along and play a huge role with heavy drug usage. This is huge problem in society and is targeting the youth. The point needs to be expressed and this art piece has a perfect example. The art piece shows in great deal what started first in her journey to her overdose. In the image you can see a pack of cigarettes and next to the cigarettes you see pill of different types and colors and at the end you see a needle injection which most likely had heroin. This is an important link that must be understood in this art piece because most drug abusers never start strong. They usually start with smoking and then follow a pattern into the stronger types of drugs like prescription pills, meth, cocaine and essentially heroin.