Empire of Bones

The woman represents the tobacco industry, seductive and tempting people into her grasp (I chose a woman to represent them because women are the traditional temptresses, even though men can be just as good at that). Tobacco industry's have built their empire on the bones of their consumers. Tar, found in cigarettes, drips from the bones. Chains around the neck of the smokers still alive; the message there is pretty clear. The chain leading to the girl in incomplete though, representing the struggle to get off it, or the fact that she is becoming addicted to it. The skull with a broken chain represents that A LOT of people don't quit until its too late or never quit and the only way tobacco lets go of its hold on them is when death takes over. The smoke/hair cascading into the playground represents the secondhand smoke so many are exposed to especially little kids.

Done in watercolors/watercolor pencils, ink, graphite.