Eco-Art Competition 2022

My piece intends to show the positive impacts of a tree to other organisms. It illustrates symbiotic relationships with the tree and other organisms including honey bees and birds. The relationship between the tree and the honey bees is mutualistic, with the pollen provided by the bees helping the growth of plants on and around the tree, while the tree provides a location for the bees to place their habitat—the hive. In another example, the birds and the tree have a commensalistic relationship, with the birds benefitting from the tree using it as a habitat. I expressed these relationships by placing multiple organisms in interaction and within the tree, to show how a single tree, starting from a seed, is able to support a number of different organisms. I have always loved the outdoors, spending lots of time walking outdoors. I love the beautiful scenery and the feeling of peace I get by immersing myself into nature. And biodiversity crucial to allowing for the prosperity of lots of the ecosystems that I personally enjoy. The removal of trees by humans has destroyed more than just the trees- but a critical aspect of the ecosystem for many other species, which often leads to its complete degradation. To communicate my message of the importance of trees, I placed an open seed at the bottom of the page surrounded by a highly saturated yellow to allow it to pop out against the rest of the piece, which does not contain very saturated colors. I made soil and the tree form out from the seed, blossoming into an ecosystem, to illustrate the impact of the single seed. I imagine people viewing this piece and realizing the important service that trees provide to other organisms and their critical role in ecosystems.