This artist's hubris soiled several national parks

I consider myself an artist because of my love for photography and my method of expression doesn't ordinarily affect the subject being photographed in any permanent way.

The same cannot be said of this graffiti artist who figured she had every right to deface several national parks in the name of her art:

The debate over urban graffiti is a complex one, frequently pitting commercial interests against artistic ones. Graffiti in the wilderness is a much simpler matter: It is a despicable crime, never more so than when the tags mar national parks. That is the takeaway from the case of 23-year-old Casey Nocket, also known as “Creepytings,” who this week pleaded guilty to defacing government property by applying her images and tag to seven national parks in the West during a dismayingly productive 2014 trip. So prolific was Nocket during her 26-day adventure, that in two parks, Crater Lake and Death Valley, her masterpieces have not yet been removed. 

[...] The blog Modern Hiker had first alerted the world about Nocket’s work in 2014. In an October 21, 2014, post, Modern Hiker’s Casey Schreiner reported that Nocket “was so moved by all the natural beauty she saw that she just had to paint all over it.” Her calling card—usually, a stylized portrait, with her “Creepytings” tag—appeared in some of the most famous parks in the West, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Zion. Her weapons were acrylic paint and marker. And she incautiously recorded her exploits on Instagram and Tumblr. 

[...] According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, she will be on probation for two years and must perform 200 hours of community service. In addition, Nocket “was banned from entering any national park while serving her sentence and will be required to pay restitution.” 

Nocket was the target of plenty of outrage, but she is merely a convenient symbol for an entire criminal subculture that takes pride in the vandalism of national parks, particularly in the West, where the desert is some of the last truly American wilderness that remains. Much of the protected land is sacred to Native Americans too.

Just like many online commenters, I was outraged to learn what Nocket had done. What on Earth possessed her to think that it was perfectly okay to use paint in some of the most magnificent and revered natural spaces we still have??!

What the hell was she thinking!?!?

From Raw Story.