"The Rent is Too Damn High", acrylic on canvas, 40" x 30". Inspired by the meme of the same name. The artwork was created using a reference image generated using the Wombo Dream app: https://app.wombo.art/ . The purpose behind this artwork is to raise awareness of poverty and homelessness; how serious the situation has been, is, and continues to be in our modern western world. As you can see, the lights are on for everyone--who live in the comfort, security and shelter of housing--except for the impoverished man. Homelessness is among us, yet does not belong anywhere, as can be seen by the way the character "floats" and mellows in a void of "darkness", which seeps into the fabric of society. Their lifeless expression and "hollow", ragged garments show that this person is now a husk, a shadow of the person they once were. Life is empty and meaningless.