©2024 Jillian Patterson. Please do not use image without permission from the artist.
56 x 24 inches
Mixed media
In Collaboration with Carol Warden, LTER Research Scientist at UW Trout Lake
When winter comes and snow covers the ground, salt on the roads is inevitable. While salt helps cars to not slip on ice, road salt has negative impacts on nearby lakes. Specifically, it can affect algae growth, clarity, safety of drinking water, temperature, water levels and more. My piece is inspired by Carol Warden’s research on the effects of road salt in freshwater lakes. The tactile nature of crocheting and other media brings the viewer into the art. For this piece, I had to create my own pattern. The semi-truck tapestry took the most time planning, but the background water panel took the most time to create due to variations in stitch and sizing. While the project was vexing at times, so is the debate about road salt near lakes.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Hi I’m Jillian Patterson. I’m currently a student at UW-Stevens Point studying Arts Management. I’ve loved making art since I was a kid and I have grown to love 3D media. My preferred forms of art is with wire, crochet, and found objects(sculpture). With a BFA degree and a passion for the arts, I aspire to work in an art museum.
Instagram: @jill.ustrious
ABOUT THE WATER PARTNER
Carol is a research scientist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Trout Lake Station, located in Vilas County. She maintains long term data for seven lakes that include parameters around water chemistry, fish populations, zooplankton populations, sedimentation rates, water levels, aglae abundance, and ice cover duration. Carol received her master’s degree in Water Resources Management at UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Study. Prior to her work in freshwater, Carol served in the US Navy for five years aboard an aircraft carrier as a photographer. She spent her formative years in northeast Wisconsin, swimming, building forts, and riding bikes. Carol continues to enjoy the outdoors spending all her free time canoeing, skiing, ice skating, hiking, swimming, and paddle boarding.
MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUPPORT FROM
