The document discusses how visual artists portray their environments from their own perspectives by deciding what to include or leave out, and how they communicate not just what they see but also what they hear, feel, and smell. It provides examples of natural environment elements like landscapes, foliage, and animals as well as man-made environments like cityscapes, architecture, and vehicles, then lists examples of artists like Ansel Adams, Winslow Homer, and Georgia O'Keeffe who depicted such environments.