The Caribbean islands are home to 172 endemic bird species that are found nowhere else in the world. Many survive on just one island. Right now, these birds, and their habitats, are under increasing pressure from badly planned commercial development, poaching for sport and subsistence, as well as increasingly deadly storms due to climate change, to name just a few threats. The Caribbean’s biodiversity is at serious risk with about 1/3 of the region’s species threatened with extinction, making the Caribbean one of the top hotspots assessed by the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund for globally threatened species.
That is why Saint Lucia artists, Christopher Cox, Donna Grandin & Daniel Jean-Baptiste, have donated their work, including an outstanding image of the Imperial Parrot, to raise funds to protect this and other magnificent endemic Caribbean species. The auction will launch on May 3rd at https://www.32auctions.com/SaveCaribbeanBirds You can buy one of these incredible pieces of art and, with your purchase, ensure the work needed to save these birds in the wild continues. This is vital work so reward yourself and purchase art that will protect the most endangered birds of the Caribbean.
Caribbean Species Continue to Face Serious Challenges
For years, Caribbean conservation organizations have toiled to bring these species back from the brink of extinction. Recent hurricanes and lack of resources have caused huge setbacks that conservationists are desperately working to resolve. Funds raised from this auction will all go to support the recovery of critically endangered Caribbean island species: protecting their habitat and ensuring local communities are engaged in protecting them – actions that will guarantee their survival. Please support our effort and purchase some of the Caribbean’s finest artwork.
Christopher Cox and the Imperial Parrot of Dominica
The auction is the brainchild of Christopher Cox, who felt compelled to support preservation of Imperial Parrots after he saw the massive devastation on their island home, Dominica, caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Having worked at Saint Lucia’s Forestry Department for many years, Chris knew how much this hurricane’s destructive force would impact this magnificent species’ already stressed chance for long-term survival. This painting depicts the birds in their element – as they should be forever – high in the rugged rainforest, with the poise of majesty and hope of a secure future.
Chris feels privileged to be among the few recognized wildlife artists from the region. He has combined his passion for wildlife art with his conservation career; working with Saint Lucia’s government and then with a regional environmental agency. Recently, he has opened up new horizons beyond the Caribbean, having relocated to Nairobi, Kenya in 2014, where he pursues his professional career with the United Nations Environment Program working on combating marine pollution. His art is expressed in a variety of media from watercolors to acrylics to oils.
His stunning image of Imperial Parrots in the wild, titled “Imperials of Waitukabuli – Imperial Parrots,” is an oil painting on canvas. Its dimensions are 48×36″ – based on the current size of the stretcher it is on; *note that when re-stretched it may be slightly smaller.
“Mango Delight” – a Vibrant Work That Expresses Joy
Silk painting artist Daniel Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste of Saint Lucia immediately joined with Chris on the idea of an auction to support Caribbean birds. Daniel uses tropical nature as his inspiration and silk as his canvas. His creations reflect on a life of growing up in the beautiful tropical paradise of the Caribbean. His works are in the private art collections of golf champion Arnold Palmer, heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, singer/songwriter Paul Simon, U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.S. President George W. Bush, South African President Nelson Mandela, and CEO of Sandals Resorts Gordon “Butch” Stewart.
Daniel’s contribution to the auction, “Mango Delight” is a commissioned one-of-a-kind. It is hand drawn water-based resistant and hand painted using Sumi sheep hair brushes to apply a water-based liquid pigment silk paint onto 10mm, 100% Habotai silk. This magnificent image measures 40″high x 30″wide. The piece is unframed and is shipped as a rolled textile.
Daniel states, “My life is one which is so close to nature that I feel a part of all her splendor and mystery. When I paint, I become my subject, from the tree frog in the mist of Fond St. Jacques rainforest to the sea turtle gliding in the deep blue waters of Anse Chastanet Bay… I do not just want to paint, but I want you to create so that you too can feel the intense joy that I experience in being here.”
A Third Saint Lucia Artist Has Stepped Up
Donna Grandin is a professional fine artist from Saint Lucia. She studied art in Canada and, since then, has been exhibiting her acrylic paintings in the Caribbean and Canada, gaining collectors from those areas and beyond. Donna also responded to Chris’s call and has provided the third piece for the auction.
Donna states that Nature provides a feast of inspiration for the artist. With its organic shapes and patterns, nature provides her with an endless supply of interesting compositions. “As an acrylic painter, I capture and translate these compositions through the filters of my personal sense of color and interest in visual rhythm, to convey mood and movement.”
Her piece, “Pondlife with Snowy Egrets,” conveys the serenity of nature. Her inspiration for Pondlife was the pond in front of the Auberge Seraphin at Vigie, in Saint Lucia. This beautiful image is a 30”x40” acrylics.
Let the Bidding Begin!
Now that you have seen the images, let’s all go bid on them! It’s easy, all you have to do is click on https://www.32auctions.com/SaveCaribbeanBirds and put a bid on one or all of the paintings. Mark your calendars – the auction begins on Friday, May 3 and closes on Sunday, May 12, 2019.
Please spread the word as well. Tell everyone you know about the auction by e-mailing the link, pasting the link into your social media with a post encouraging friends to enter the auction and any other creative ways to make the auction a success. Let’s ensure the birds and habitats of the Caribbean, especially Dominica’s Imperial Parrots, survive for generations to come. Thank you!