International Cheetah Day ~ Painting and Drawing My Favorite Animal

Detail from Kilimanjaro 1989

Oil on wood panel, 2018

International Cheetah Day

December 4th

I think I started trying to draw cheetahs by the time I was in Ms. Skeehan's class in 1st grade. At some point in grammar school I did a report on cheetahs and bush babies got bumped from my number 1 spot of favorite animals. When I found out, as a little girl, that cheetahs don't attack humans I of course wanted a pet cheetah. The problem is that many people feel the same way and never grew out of it. 

Here's a little ink sketch I made in high school, in 1986.

These beautiful animals don't belong in homes or in places far from their own habitats with folks who have no idea how to care for them. Most die within a year or two. Believe it or not, this is one of the biggest conservation challenges. Dozens of cubs at a time are are being smuggled out of Somaliland and most of them won't survive the journey. Along with the captive pet trade, another enormous issue is that they have been driven out of 91% of their historic range.

Cheetahs are the most endangered big cat in Africa. Their population of 7,500 individuals is down from 100,000 and without help they will be extinct, in the wild, in the next 15 years. 

Here's a video from the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Please watch!

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Young Cheetah

Ink on paper, 2007

Here's a video of a rescued baby cheetah by the Born Free Foundation.

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For my last solo show Through Time and Place: 5 Decades, I knew I had to paint a cheetah. Seeing them 30 years ago in Kenya was an unforgettable experience!

I remember standing inside the van with my head popped out of the open top, 35mm with telephoto in hand. We were only 10 to 15 feet away from two brothers sitting on a hill. It was just my family of four, our guide Francis, and these two beautiful cheetah. They looked like they were posing, sitting there so regal and graceful. I remember staring in to the eyes of one of these beautiful beings and it was ... emotional, magical and indescribable. 

You can see, below, I was working from some of my old old Africa photos for reference.

Kilimanjaro 1989, 2018

12 x 12"

Oil on wood panel with gold metal leafing

I am planning on doing a life size painting of a cheetah for my next solo which will be on endangered  and keystone species and our fragile planet. Stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile here is a news clip about the problem of cheetah smuggling with footage of many of the cubs, please click HERE 

If you would like more information or to donate to help cheetahs, click on the links below.

Cheetah Conservation Fund
Born Free Foundation
Wildlife Conservation Society
5 Things to know about Cheetahs-BBC (with videos)

Blessings, Light and ...

Happy International Cheetah Day!

World Rhino Day 2014

Today is World Rhino Day!!! 

Black Rhinos, White Rhinos, Javan Rhinos, Sumatran and Greater One-Horned! #TeamRhino !!!

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things,

man will not himself find peace.

~Albert Schweitzer 

Black Rhino Icon

Oil on wood panel, with metal leafing

Any glimpse into the life of an animal

quickens our own and makes it so much the larger 

and better in every way.

~John Muir

If Rhino poaching continues at the current rate, they will be gone in the wild within our lifetime. People buy the horns for a range of supposed medicinal purposes but the horn has been proven to have no medicinal value whatsoever. 

Here is a video by World Wildlife Fund about the critically endangered species of Borneo: The Sumatran Rhinos. There are estimated 40 left in Borneo. This species has been around for 25 million years, and ... well, you can watch the video.

The animals of the planet are in desperate peril.

Without free animal life

I believe we will lose the spiritual equivalent of oxygen.

~Alice Walker

For more informations on Rhinos and how you can help, visit the Rhino page of World Wildlife Fund here.

Until one has loved an animal, 

a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

~Anatole

Thank you!

Blessings and light!

Orangutans

I love orangutans.

Zoos are tough and sometimes sad but now necessary for breeding programs for endangered species. My nephew loves animals (actually obsessed is more accurate!) so we take him to the zoo. I saw a woman once, reading a picture book to an orangutan at the L.A. Zoo. She sat on one side of this huge acrylic window, and the orangutan sat on the other. (The rest of the enclosure is open air.) Though they had a window between them, they sat on the ground, only a couple of feet apart.

She told me that she went at least once a week and sat with a book at the window and this same orangutan would see her, come over and sit and watch her and the illustrations in her books. They have this relationship going. As she told me this, the orangutan looked at me and then back to her reading buddy, patiently awaiting the rest of story time. If I didn't already love orangutans, this sealed the deal.

Orangutans are found in two places on the planet ... Borneo and Sumatra. With the destruction of tropical rain forests (both legal and illegal), fires, as well as using them for bushmeat, these beautiful creatures have become endangered. To find out more, you can go to Orangutan Foundation International.

Orangutan graphite on paper 2007

"Only if we understand can we care.

Only if we care will we help.

Only if we help shall they be saved."

~Jane Goodall

Vancouver Island Marmot

I am working, as I've mentioned before, on a series of endangered species paintings and drawings.  So the "endangered species of the month" is, you guessed it ... a Vancouver Island Marmot.  

They are found only on ... well, Vancouver Island. What you may not know, is that he is one of the worlds most Endangered Animals and that there are less than 100 left in the wild.  If you'd like to know more about this cute little guy or even help him out, you can check out Marmots.org!

Vancouver Island Marmot, Pen and Ink 2006

"When we try to pick out anything by itself,

we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

~John Muir

Endangered Black-Footed Ferret

Isn't he cute?  He is one of the most endangered animals in United States.  He is actually the only ferret native to the U.S. and in 1986 there were only 18!  Yes, 18.  

In 2008, with the help of captive breeding programs and the Endangered Species Act, their numbers grew to 750 in the wild and 250 in breeding facilities. How cool is that?  I love knowing there are people out there dedicating their lives to these kinds of endeavors. Doesn't it give you hope?  To learn more about this very endangered animal, check out Defenders of Wildlife and their website.  

I am always a bit shocked at people who miss the whole "link in the chain" thing and that every species is important to their eco-chain and the larger ecosystem.  I mean, I barely went to biology class and I still get that!

Black Footed Ferret, Pen and Ink 2006

It is horrifying that we have to fight

our own government

to save the environment.

~Ansel Adams

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (2004)

This is an endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. It's one of 7 species of sea turtle, all of which are on the IUCN Red List and all classified as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Endangered Species Act. These creatures have been here since before the dinosaurs ... between 110 to 140 million years. Yes MILLIONS... crazy right? I swam with one in Hawaii, almost drowning from the complete and utter excitement of it. It was thrilling.

Leatherbacks could be gone in 10 years. Uh, huh. 10. For more information there are lots of websites and people doing a lot to help these guys out. Sea Turtle Restoration Project is just one of them and they have a lot of info on their site.

Endangered ...

Sadly, there are so many endangered species that I have a six volume encyclopaedia of species that are endangered in North America alone.  Volume 1 is mammals, birds, and reptiles.  Volume 2 is filled with amphibians, fish, snails, mussles and clams. You get the idea.  Each one a link in the chain ... every one of them different and special and an amazing feat of nature and creativity.

Endangered Three (2004)

"If you have people who will exclude any of God's creatures 

from the shelter of compassion and kindness, 

you will have people who will deal likewise 

with their fellow human beings."

~Francis of Assisi

Endangered Species

These works are the beginning of what will become part of a larger collection of endangered species. Unfortunately there are a lot to choose from in the animal kingdom as well as the plant world. The idea behind them has to do with seeing them as something holy and worth seeing or elevating to the level of icons. The "patterns" or "designs" are all related to the country or area of origin of the animal. They represent the human element and how we are connected to these creatures and ultimately responsible for the final outcome of their existence. These are all oil on wood panels.

Siberian Tiger

Echo Parakeet~ Mauritius

Endangered Orchids

Endangered Slipper Orchid

When they are in nature, people sense intuitively that the other kingdoms are living in harmony with universal law. In such an environment, it's easier for the heart to open, to become softer and live in tune with the earth.

~Wabun, Sun Bear's medicine helper