Park Ranger/Artist Paints Landscapes of National Parks on Trash Left in Those Parks

Mariah Reading is a professionally trained artist who works as a ranger with the National Park Service. She takes the trash that people leave behind in these scenic wonders and transforms them into beautiful landscapes.

In an interview with Atlas Obscura, Reading describes what she hopes that people will gain from her project:

The beauty of these places is deteriorating as visitation increases and waste management flails. I also hope people can see the accessibility of this medium. I’ve worked as a teacher in the past and tried to encourage people who are interested in art that there are ways to make it without having to purchase expensive canvases. You can literally make art out of your trash. You can use the pizza box from last night as a canvas or find another way to creatively repurpose things around your home. Art is an innate way that we can use to express ourselves and I hope this sparks some inspiration in viewers—that they see the world in a different and more beautiful way.