The Magnificent Dozen

I can't fall asleep at night without watching my animal friends as shown in their natural habitat on the small screen. Watching them tells us so much about community, connection to the land and the interdependency we have living together on our planet. Many of the species we take for granted have long preceded man on this earth and now many of them will not survive even this century. Learning about the manmade dangers they face daily to survive in their natural habitat is frustrating, and has motivated me to want to do something. As a result, I’ve put aside the work I was doing previously, in order to create this special project which I’ve titled “The Magnificent Dozen” choosing 12 as an example to many more.
My hope is that this work will raise awareness of the dangerous status these magnificent animals are currently in, and spur action to save them from extinction. Proceeds from the sales of the works will go towards saving the animals. I wish I could have seen each of the animals in person in their native habitat first, but unfortunately, time pressures and accessibility did not allow for that. Instead, I searched the internet for images of the animals that are in the most imperiled situations. I then painted them on aluminum combining their beauty and sadness while keeping their majesty intact.
I placed different marks and images in each painting, depending on the man-made motives that are behind the core threat to their existence. The Animal Kingdom is the crown jewel of creation. Its members are depicted as a critical element of every one of the world’s civilizations and religions. They have provided mankind with beauty, inspiration and have come to symbolize the characteristics that we frequently aspire to. And yet we seem hellbent on extinguishing their presence on earth.
All of us must work to protect the many endangered members of the animal kingdom and their habitats worldwide. We have for millennia shared this planet with them and they, in turn, have inspired us with their courage and beauty. Now we’ve left them little habitat to roam within, poisoned much of what is left, hunted them for monetary gain, and destroyed the climate in which they once thrived.
There will be no do-overs.

Once lost, these and so many other species will not be there to inspire our children and future generations.
Our future civilization will be that much more impoverished by having never been in their presence outside of a few remaining in zoos.
We, the custodians of our earth will have failed.