Alcoholism
The addiction to drinking too much can be seen in many different viewpoints. The view point I am going for in this painting is drinking so much the person gets liver disease. Common physical effects of liver disease are yellowing of the skin, constant sweating, as well as hives on the skin. To capture the pain of the alcoholic I wanted to paint very tired and yearning eyes that were yellow. People going through addiction can feel hopeless and alone. People trying to help can almost seem fake or annoying, but you know someone is really serious and ready for change when they look you in the eye.
Obesity
Is the addiction to overeating. Overeating causes great strain on the body, with large amounts of calories comes extra fat put on the body. High cholesterol and higher chances of diabetes reduces your lifespan. Overeating can come at any time, overeating can start from boredom, depression, anxiety, peer pressure, and the list goes on. The constant pressure from outside eyes looking in full of judgment doesn't help. For my painting I did a bigger woman looking away from the audience, I feel like this captures obesity from the shame felt when being overweight where you don't even want to see what others feel nor have to say about you.
Self Harm
Self harm is very common and can be very deadly, all it takes is one wrong move and you're dead, but to some people it's worth the risk to not feel the pain they are feeling in the moment. In my painting I wanted to show someone who went too far in the process. Self harm can be done anywhere but I wanted it to seem like it is in the bathroom of their home. Typically self harm happens behind closed doors, meaning the person can feel very alone, without anyone to turn too. The piece is just saddening to think how the person left the world in so much pain but also alone.
Anorexia
Is addicted to not eating. When you don’t eat for long periods of time it can make you feel terrible. People describe the pain as vast emptiness and as feeling that you aren't even there. Without proper nutrition your energy plunges. Feeling weak makes you want to do absolutely nothing, it makes you have bad headaches, blurry vision, and so much more. To top off the pain, when a person tries to eat again while suffering from anorexia it can be so hard to swallow and keep the food down. With my painting I am trying to show how small people can get by showing obvious bone structures showing through the skin and I am also trying to show the feeling of not having strength and energy through dark colors and the body dissipating into the background.
Body Modification
Having an addiction to body modification comes from the desire to change your body because you are not satisfied with how you look. Alot of people including children are surrounded by restrictions of what a body is supposed to look like. The constant comparison is devastating. Cases of body modification can become extremely dangerous, human bodies are built the way they are to survive, bodies are not supposed to look perfect. Body modification includes excessive piercings, tattoos, implants, and reductions. People can go so far with this addiction that in the end they do not even look human, which I guess is the goal, but it is so sad people are not allowed to feel comfortable in their skin. You can only cover up so much, just be nicer to people and reassure others that they are beautiful the way they are.
Smoking Abuse
The addiction to smoking. When smoking catches up to you, a physical effect that starts to be noticed is bad teeth. Smoking has a huge effect on the lungs and mouth. Rotting teeth is a huge deal but hard to think about when you have other issues affecting you mentally. While bad teeth can be scary, it is no reason to judge someone. With my painting I wanted to get straight to the point with an open mouth revealing missing, yellow, as well as brown teeth.