<![CDATA[Art education has primarily emphasized the development of artistic skills, while students' ecological experiences have not been fully utilized as meaningful learning resources for fostering aesthetic experiences and ecological awareness. This study aims to analyze students' aesthetic responses to ecological issues, describe their aesthetic experiences throughout the painting process, and explore the ecological values emerging in art learning. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed at SMP Negeri 3 Guntur, Demak Regency. The participants consisted of 12 eighth-grade students and one art teacher selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through observations, interviews, documentation, and analyses of students' paintings, and were analyzed using phenomenological analysis with source and technique triangulation to ensure trustworthiness. The findings revealed three major themes: the transformation of ecological experiences into visual ideas, the development of aesthetic experiences during the creative process, and the internalization of ecological values through artistic expression. Students' experiences of recurrent flooding evoked emotional, cognitive, and imaginative responses, which were reflected in their artworks and reinforced values of environmental care, ecological responsibility, sustainability, and critical ecological awareness. The findings demonstrate that aesthetic responses function as a mechanism for transforming local ecological experiences into reflective and meaningful learning experiences. The novelty of this study lies in conceptualizing the relationship between local ecological experiences, aesthetic experiences, and the development of ecological awareness through students' paintings, thereby extending the discourse on eco-art education within the context of phenomenology-based art education.]]>
