The first painting of the ‘Celebration of Life’ series is now complete.
This series of art is my way of acknowledging a few of the stunning animals that are, currently or have been previously, classed as ‘Endangered’ according to the ICUN Red List.
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The series name, ‘Celebration of Life’ is my acknowledgement that all life needs to be celebrated no matter how troubling and insurmountable things can seem in the moment. The collection will be a celebration of my life, how far I’ve come, how much my art develops through this series and most importantly a celebration of the magnificent animals that walk our Earth.
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About the art!
Panda sits beneath a blossom tree eating a fresh shoot of bamboo.
The breeze ruffle’s petals and rustles the leaves in natures tranquil lullaby. Earth is calm.
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Giant Pandas are considered good luck in Chinese culture, so much so they’re considered honoured guests should they be encountered.
I think this is a beautiful sentiment and in my bias opinion, I cannot imagine anyone not finding these bears lovable.
With this is mind, I hope my panda portrait captures the charm and happy nature these animals exude. Plus, they’re always eating. So, it seemed fitting to have this as part of the painting too.
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I’ve pretty much decided that ‘realistic’ art is for other people to create; I’m loving the styled animal portraits I am now creating and looking forward to seeing how they evolve.
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Why a Panda?
It seemed fitting to select the Giant Panda first. This charismatic cutie is iconic in its role as the World Wildlife Funds emblem and was the first animal they pledged to protect when formed in 1961.
Most kids have a ‘bear’ they love. Mine was a Panda teddy bear, that I adored. That is, until my big brother ripped its head off while he was annoyed with me. Don’t worry though, I likely gained my retribution in some way!
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In 2016 the Giant Panda was downgraded from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’. This means their numbers have increased enough for their species survival to be more likely.
Threats to the species!
However, these black and white beauties are still under threat from human activities.
Activities include: Tourism, transportation (the building of roads and railroads), utility and service lines, air-borne pollutants, dams and water management, agriculture and farming, deforestation, and hunting.
I sometimes think it’s too easy to fall into an ‘us and them’ compartmentalised mindset. As in, ‘we need to stop the people who are hurting the animals.’ The reality is though, that each time we upgrade our Wi-Fi or move from 4G to 5G, rely on the plumbing for a glass of water that comes from a reservoir; we too are part of the problem that animals must overcome. Each human deserves the same opportunities, regardless of their location on the globe. It’s just that many of these ‘opportunities’ or advancements in human civilisation are directly affecting animals, their habitats and the climate.
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So, I read and learn and endeavour to do better. I contribute to causes that support wildlife and I paint the animals I love to try and raise awareness.
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Until next time, be the light you seek from others.
Love and light…
Elaine x
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