This week's template for the LMAC Collage Contest at first made me think of a convocation, maybe a coven of witches casting a spell in the night. That theme, or a related theme, became quite popular among our artists. So I went in a different direction.
Template for LMAC #201
If you look at the picture, you notice the circular area surrounded by wood. I turned that into a raft. I used the plank on the near side of the circle to create a floor for the raft.
Now I was ready to created my scene. I looked at the LIL Gallery and found a lovely lake scene by @eimy7. I started by putting a raft in the middle of the lake. As you can see from the finished collage, this was many steps away from the end.
Sources I used to complete the collage: From LIL
- Woman on the raft
@muelli
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/7565 - Duck
@redheadpei
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/6779 - Heron flying
@redheadpei
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/6324 - Seagull standing
@redheadpei
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/7701 - Dog
@yaziris
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/7639 - Lake scene
@eimy7
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/6213 - Child
@amilcar14
https://www.lmac.gallery/lil-gallery-image/2820 - The Fisherman and Sky were my contributions from LIL
From Pixabay I borrowed
- Picnic basket
https://pixabay.com/photos/garden-apple-fruit-natural-healthy-2124757/ - Pier
https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-pier-sunset-sea-ocean-water-6089501/ - Thermos and lunch box
https://pixabay.com/photos/labo
Rainbow Trout Under Water
Credit: Engbretson Eric, Us Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.
Fishing. Doesn't it look peaceful in my collage? According to an article(Fly-Fishing and the Brain) I found on hms.Harvard.edu, "Fly fishing has been compared to meditation". The activity counters stress and has a "calming effect".
Another article, in Ecosystems and People*, outlines lower stress levels and better sleep scores for people who engage regularly in recreational fishing. The scores improved with the number of hours spent fishing.
All good for people, right? But what about the fish?
Fish and Pain
Do fish feel pain? When we catch them and throw them back in the water, is that a painful experience for them? How can we know? There are many researchers who claim that we can't know, for sure, because we don't know if fish have consciousness. Without consciousness, they assert, there can't be suffering. Without suffering, they say, there can't be pain.
Atlantic Cod
Credit: NOA, Unknown author. Public domain.
On the other hand, many studies have demonstrated that fish demonstrate avoidance behavior when challenged with painful stimuli (if fish could feel pain). For example, an article on sentientmedia.com describes a fish's reaction to being injected with acid (!!!). They definitely showed an aversion to this. Another article I found on the humaneleague.org website looked at nociceptors (pain sensory receptors) that are abundant in a fish's mouth and lips. When the fish's lips were injected with acid, "The fish swam slower, decreased social activities, delayed eating, and rubbed their lips against the glass walls of the tank or in the sand along the bottom".
Both articles that describe pain in fish are, to be honest, what might be called pro-fish, or animal rights organizations. If their advocacy throws their conclusions into doubt for the reader, one can refer to research articles I unearthed. The links below this passage lead to two of these articles. In each of the articles, objective scientific methods are cited. In both cases, authors admit that we cannot know for sure if fish feel pain, as we humans understand it, but in both cases the authors assert that it is very possible and even likely that fish do feel pain. In that case, it would be more ethical and moral to behave as though fish do feel pain.
1.https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/218/7/967/14518/Pain-in-aquatic-animals
2.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.15386
Hive SBI Up for Grabs
I have so much fun making collages that I decided to tempt others to try their hand. This invitation is only for those who have never made a collage for LMAC. If you have never made a collage for LMAC, but have been tempted, I up the ante this week. For the first three new contributors to the contest I will gift two Hive SBI units, each. Tag me, during the next LMAC contest round (Round #202). The round runs from Thursday until Monday. I will check out your blog and if it's true, you will receive two Hive SBI in your wallet. Only one gift per person. I hope to catch some of my own 'fish' this week.
LIL is not only a valuable image resource for the Hive community, but is also a way for community members to participate in LMAC. Anyone on Hive can contribute to the library and everyone can borrow from it. Learn about the procedure here.
Every week we offer prizes to fifteen finalists in the contest, but it's not only the prizes people create for. I, for example don't compete, but spend hours giving vent to my imagination. Others in the community have developed the habit of 'speaking' through collage.
As @shaka has said many times, everyone is an artist. I may not be an artist in the technical sense, but LMAC allows me to nurture my own unique artistic voice.
Thank you for reading. Peace and health to all.