About Janna B.

 I am a senior Environmental Science major, and I spend most of my time playing softball or being in the outdoors. I grew up in a very small town in Northern Minnesota, which I loved because it held such a large community, but a McLuhan quote reminded me of the downsides of growing up where I did. It said, “Too many people know too much about each other. Our new environment compels commitment and participation. We have become irrevocably involved with, and responsible for, each other” (p 24). As media expands, it does not take long for information to spread across town, and everyone definitely knows everything.  

My classes tend to be biology focused, however I spent fall term abroad in London taking classes completely different from what I am used to. I took an art history class and a theatre class where we spent most of our time visiting nearby museums or watching performances. Although these classes did not relate to my major, I loved learning about different topics that I don’t normally see in my science courses. Because of this, I thought it would be fun to continue that for this term and take this course.  

Although I am not necessarily an artist, I definitely appreciate art on a daily basis, and I see it in almost everything. Because I spend a lot of time outdoors canoeing, hiking, or camping, I am in areas that have little human influence. With that, I am constantly reminded of how beautiful nature is and how so many artists gain influence from nature. While visiting many museums in London, I saw many landscape artworks from the 19thcentury. The paintings of mountains and trees created nearly 200 years ago remind me of times when I am immersed in nature and how I often see scenes that are ‘picture perfect,’ similarly to much of the works in the museums. It amazes me how works created so long ago can still remind me of places I have been, and I am constantly drawn to them because of that.  

Here are some images I see as 'picture perfect':

I took this while I was traveling in Switzerland

I took this while I was camping in the BWCAW

Vincent Van Gogh, A Wheatfield, with Cypresses  

Claude Monet, the Water Lily Pond