In the words of the artist:

Geometry 2014 (image of moth above)

“This piece speaks directly to the artwork’s own footprint; the subject matter, media, and composition visually and conceptually speak to light footprints and environmental awareness.  The moth is native to the biodiverse Amazon rainforest and is painted with non-toxic watercolors on handmade paper made out of eco-friendly renewable resources – tobacco and sugarcane.  While a tree can take decades to mature, tobacco and sugarcane take a fraction of the time to grow to harvest and are more easily processed by hand.”

Survey 2015 (image below) , Acrylic on sealed basswood panel, 14″ x 18″

“Bison are one of the quintessential American icons and they are heavy animals not just literally – though they can top 2,000 pounds – but also metaphorically; they are a species that humanity almost slaughtered to extinction in the 19th century and then managed to save, a nostalgic symbol of the Wild West, and an often dangerously temperamental animal that is nowadays nevertheless successfully kept as livestock. When thinking about bison, we can’t help but compare visions of the vast prairies that supported enormous herds of bison with the present day.”

From World Wildlife Fund:

Symbols of strength and determination, bison are Ice Age survivors. However, once numbering in the tens of millions in North America, their numbers were decimated in just a few decades as expansion pressed westward. No other species on Earth has declined so quickly.

Several Native American tribes are working with WWF to “bring the bison home” to their native lands in the great plains of the United States, and to grow bison numbers once again across vast grasslands under their management.

Learn more about bison and WWF’s work to protect them here.

Shelby Prindaville paints images of bison against blank backgrounds. These majestic creatures, removed from their natural environment, appear like apparitions.  Bison are iconic symbols in the United States, representing the rocky road to wildlife preservation.  Wendell Gladstone also depicts bison in the following detail, rendering them in a surreal style to similar effect.  Look for Wendell Gladstone’s work in Part II of the exhibition.

Smoke Signal Rope Umbilical (detail), by Wendell Gladstone © 2007, courtesy of the artist and Kravets Wehby Gallery

Featured Actions:

* Cut off junk mail!  Stop paper statements from banks and other companies.  To increase your impact, put a stop to telephone book delivery.

* Stop using virgin paper!  Use recycled paper instead.  Better yet, reuse the blank side of junk mail and think before you print!

* Your pledge will be counted in Earth Day Network’s “A Billion Acts of Green” campaign.  Learn more about this campaignhere.

Reserved for future conversations.