Decline of the Emerald Dragonfly

Science

Jacob's painting focuses on the Hine's emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, which is an endangered species of dragonfly located in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin of the United States of America. The painting incorporates a graph of the species' relative population over time within the reeds and riverbed the dragonfly calls home. The major threats facing the Hine's emerald are the depletion and contamination of their natural habitat, compounded by the slower-than-average time it takes for them to reach their adult form. This is reflected in the painting by the yellow polluted sky with the Sun's rays barely breaking through the haze.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/112795-Somatochlora-hineana

Method

This piece was made on a 16' by 20' white canvas using acrylic paints and black Sharpie pens to create the lines of the graph, connecting the white dots as data points, as well as the dragonfly's wings. Several photographs were used to accurately portray the dragonfly and the rivers it usually calls home. The population graph that is incorporated into the painting was based on the limited scientific data available on this species, provided on request by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bio

Jacob Campbell (he/him) is an American artist who lives outside of Philadelphia, in the United States of America. As well as painting and digital media he has an interest in many fields of Earth Science; including meteorology, oceanography, and geology. His work on combining scientific data with paintings of endangered species was put on display in the Brandywine campus library of Pennsylvania State University and was awarded the 2024 GeoCUR Award for Excellence in Student Research.