By Chloë Bloodworth
As I explored the relationship between human culture and animals, I decided to create a chameleon using Prismacolor on black paper. I think chameleons are very interesting because they are featured throughout human culture, despite not being cuddly, fuzzy creatures like many other popular animals. This is largely due to their fascinating ability to change colors in a unique way. Some animals change colors due to pigment dispersion, but chameleons actually have tiny crystals called iridophores which act as mirrors. These crystals are paired with a layer of skin cells that expand, retract, and shift to get light to reflect in different ways, creating various hues. Color changing is especially important to chameleons because it helps them blend in with their surroundings, regulate body temperature, and communicate their moods to other chameleons. Artists also communicate their moods through colors in their pieces, so I wanted to create a piece to capture the significance of colors regarding emotion in this animal.
