Reflection

Reflection

I came up with the idea for my piece through the passion of wanting to bring awareness to a type of pollution that is not commonly talked about, which was light pollution. I originally found interest in the topic of light pollution when I observed the behavior of my pet turtle, Dorothy, based on the light cycles in my home. When my living room light would be left on for the night, Dorothy would get little to no sleep that night, the light clearly disrupting her sleep cycle. This led me to think about the bigger picture of the many other animals facing the conflict of light pollution like owls, rabbits, many different species of turtles, along with some rodents. For example, city lights can greatly affect these animals by interfering with their biological cycles, migration, collisions, and causing many obstacles in general. This is illustrated in my art piece with a glowing city in the background as the affected animals stare at the light in somber, almost mesmerized and lured. I chose acrylic paint for this art piece because the thickness of the material can really capture the illusion of the bright city and emotions of the animals, as well as symbolizing the thickness of the issue and the piece’s message. Through the timeline of researching the contest theme and creating my work, I learned the severe impacts that the many types of pollution have on animals and the true consequences of human actions. A message I have to my audience is to never take your small actions for granted, as they can affect an owl, or turtle, or chipmunk somewhere out there.