Projects IV and V: Breeding Crisis

Rapid climate change has upset the balance of nature’s proper cycles. Animal species are codependent on the weather for environmental cues that initiate the breeding process. The Canadian red squirrel, European shag, great tit, boreal toad, cascades frog, and painter turtle populations are threatened by increasingly warmer weather. The warm conditions instigate the instinct to breed at an earlier time of season than natural. The offspring are brought into the world before food is plentiful, insuring a higher mortality rate, and ultimately risking the survival of the species.

I intend to force the viewer to take a closer look at the problem. The small scale of the work and the absurdity of the content speak about the fact that the problem is underestimated on the list of world issues. If the animals fade, humans will not be far behind. The pieces spark awareness and illustrate the animals as an exaggeration of the fate of species populations.

Resources:

Red Squirrels: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691280/

European Shag/Great Tit: http://ezproxy.lib.uwstout.edu:2170/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=14&sid=96f73196-a7d0-48c7-b155-2c345264389d%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1Mb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#db=aph&AN=13514897

Boreal Toad/Cascades Frog: http://www.google.com/search?q=Amphibian+Breeding+and+Climate+Change%3A++Importance+of+Snow+in+the+Mountains+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Painter Turtle: http://www.pnas.org/content/91/16/7487.abstract

I am very happy with my final pieces of the semester. I have found an artistic niche (for right now) that I feel passionate about and enjoy making art for. I have struggled bringing content into my work and I believe I have created something that begins to merge the two with this piece. I think the drawings are successful and I enjoy the absurd, fantastical quality they capture. My only regret is that I wish I had more time to make a larger series. I hope to continue on a similar path in creating work for my senior show next year.
I learned a great deal about myself and my art-making potential through taking this class a second time. I have come to enjoy taking the subjects that I love to learn about and taking that learning, and turning it into my artwork. It makes the work both more personal and interesting to myself and the viewer. I know I will continue to struggle with this looming concept of content and the visual, but I feel much more confident in the decision making in my future work.