Sky Parameters is a body of seven infographic paintings based on a snapshot of scientific data of air composition in the Troposphere in Hennepin County, where I live and work.

The central piece in the series (entitled Sky Parameters - Overall Air Composition) reflects the overall air composition we breathe across the planet, which is 78.09% nitrogen (shown in midnight blue), 20.95% oxygen (bright blue), 0.93% argon (teal), and 0.04% corresponds to all of the other chemicals (fluorescent yellow line) – the compounds that contribute to climate change, smog, visibility, and respiratory health.

The other paintings in the series break out compounds that are found in this small percentage, depicting emissions sources of particles in Hennepin County including carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The data used was abstracted from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2014 State and County Emissions Sources. The color palettes of the paintings are abstracted from images of sunset and sunrise in Hennepin County.

Lindsy Halleckson is a fiscal year 2018 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.