The Window of Good and Evil

I worked on this piece for 2.5 - 3.0 weeks. Countless hours were put into it. I hope that people viewing this creation find it meaningful and that it makes them really think. Sorry for the lengthy explanation of this deviation but it is a very thought provoking concept for me.

I knew from the moment that I read about this contest the kind of deviation I wanted to do. The tough part was putting it all together and achieving my vision. Somehow I needed to create a window showing examples of or the consequences of good and evil in the world. And I wanted a mirror also to show the struggle between good and evil (positive and negative thoughts and emotions) inside us all.

I do believe that evil and good really exist in the world. Sometimes the consequences of evil can be seen in the suffering of humanity. There is good in the world too and I believe we need to make decisions in our lives that strive towards goodness. How we treat each other is so important.

I chose themes such as poverty, drug/alcohol abuse, despair, and crime to illustrate the concept of evil in the world. I wish I could have portrayed more such as war. For good I chose themes of friendship, love, children, and faith. You can see all the themes below in the credits section.

The small child in the room looking out the window represents our future. What we teach our children and the examples we show them are so important. Isn't it better to teach our children about compassion and kindness rather than to teach them to hate? The dove represents hope and peace. Hope for a better future. The hope of humanity rising above the evil in the world to do real good. The candle has a similar meaning...the light in the darkness.

I wish to thank the many people who provide resources and stock images for us to use. This deviation would not have been possible without them. I literally looked at thousands of free stock photos for images to use in this piece. This alone took days and days.
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I welcome constructive comments! They would be very much appreciated.
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Edit May, 19 2009 to just do some touch-ups on the photomanipulation.
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CREDITS AND RESOURCES
This is an extensive list since I have used about 30 different resources and/or stock photos.

Graphics software: Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

IMAGES IN THE BAY WINDOW BY THEME
Drug and Alcohol Abuse/Addiction
~illione [link] , ~pwerplestock [link] , !meastock
[link] **
and morgueFile: [link]
Children
~gayleneallgood [link] and morgueFile: [link]
Nature
~Christian-Stock [link] and ~anbdstock [link]
Sadness/Despair
~killette-stock [link] and ~AilinStock [link]
Poverty and Homelessness
`FantasyStock [link] and ~Rivendell-PhotoStock [link]
Friendship
~ACrazyCharade-Stock [link]
Faith
~Christian-Stock [link] and bible from morgueFile: [link]
Love
!ChristopherMurrStock [link] **
Crime/Violence
~AilinStock [link] and !Pepstock [link] **

**These stock accounts have either been deactivated or closed.

THE ROOM
Bay Window Reference: *Camaryn-Wallpaper [link]
Bay Window and Room Base: ~aleeka-stock [link]
Curtain Brushes: ~farmerstochter [link]
Woman:=faestock [link] and [link]
Child: *SBG-CrewStock [link]
Dog: =FairieGoodMother [link]
Table: ~unholy-stock [link] **
Candle: ~XdemonicXstockX [link]
Dove: ~rewston-stock [link]
Light Brush: *redheadstock [link]
Silver Mirror: ~NV-Stock [link]
Wood Floor: ~chubbylesbian [link]
Wood Pattern for Window Frame: ~debh945 [link]
Wallpaper and Ceiling Pattern: came with Corel Paint Shop Pro.
I colorized and embossed the wallpaper.