"Increasing Forest Fire Activity"
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Provided by: Jill Pelto Gallery|Published on: April 27, 2021
ArtworkScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This is a watercolor and colored pencil artwork created by scientist and artist Jill Pelto, showing increasing wildfire activity.
- This painting is inspired by Pelto's experience near a wildfire in Washington State in 2015.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts
Authors: Jill Pelto Gallery
Region: North America, USA - West, United States, Washington
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students' engagement with works of art enhances their creativity and communication skills.
- Analyzing a visual medium is beneficial because it allows students to discuss their interpretations with their peers and to support their views by referring to specific elements.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the following concepts: wildfires, drought, temperature rise, and global warming.
Differentiation
- The painting could be incorporated into science lessons on wildfires, drought, and temperature rise. It could be used as a hook and students could discuss their observations.
- During art class, students could interpret this painting and then create their own artwork on climate change from their point of view.
- An ELA teacher could present this drawing to students and ask them to write a descriptive paragraph describing the different elements.
- Other images by Jill Pelto on deforestation and arctic melt would pair well with this image for a lesson.
Scientist Notes
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About the Partner Provider
Jill Pelto
Jill Pelto is an artist and scientist whose work focuses on communicating human-environment connections. She incorporates scientific research and data directly into her watercolor paintings — from local trends to global changes. Jill’s artwork was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in July 2020 and has inspired online features in Smithsonian and PBS News Hour. Jill has created a science-art activity based on this idea and has worked with K-12 students across the U.S. and beyond. By pairing graphical information with visual imagery, Jill hopes students can learn about and connect to climate change topics (good, bad, and in-between) in ways that educate and are emotionally relevant. This data-art activity is flexible and allows students to make their own graph art to share topics they care about.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
