Louise Althea • 13 • Dublin

12-15 Category   •  2026
The Deer Without A Heart is a piece inspired by Aesop’s fable of the same name. For me, it represents the beauty of nature and climate through the perspective of human nature. The deer, captivated by its outward beauty, neglects its instincts and falls victim to the fox and the lion. This reflects how we often prioritize appearances over deeper truths. It's ironic that the missing “piece” of this work is a visible heart, which serves as my metaphor for emotional and moral neglect. Overall, I connected the fable and this artwork to human behavior as a symbol of both nature and ourselves. And it also questions how we see and value beauty, highlighting fragility and responsibility in both nature and human life. I created this piece using watercolors, colored pencils, and a white pen for highlights. I diluted the watercolors to achieve a soft, smudgy effect and layered them over pencil bases to create the feel of an old children’s book. The watery background works with the more controlled lines I did on the animals, making them the main focus.