ABOUT THE ENDANGERED SPECIES PROJECT
The Endangered Species Project: Last Call, was begun during my studies at Gage Academy, Seattle WA, in the Kang-O’Higgins Contemporary Atelier.
The Endangered Species Project is a personal response to the environmental crisis and a public service contribution. “Endangered Species: Last Call” uses a whimsical yet subversive approach to draw attention to their plight. The goal is to offer non-threatening images, so as not to alienate viewers with feelings of hopelessness, nor appear moralistic, but to create an emotional attachment.
I decided to depict each animal in its cute, plush-toy form, set in the natural environment. To increase my personal contribution to this project, all stuffed animals were “adopted” from conservation organized. They were then photographed in the natural environment before being rendered in oil. The message I hope to convey is: if we don’t do something now to protect and preserve these species, the plush-toy is all we will have left.