The ABC’s of Extinction
Mixed Media
Artist Statement
This book conceptually began in 1993 when I created a variety of paintings that, through hidden imagery, confronted ecological and social injustices. This book has 52 little paintings made with oil stick, wax, oil paint, soluble graphite, string, and newspaper. I created other conceptual books throughout the years, as well as children’s books, including a prosaic, lively painted animal ABC book, “The Wild-Out Animal Alphabet Book”, which can be found on my website, ConnitoArt.net.
The ABC’s of Extinction was conceived after a visit first, the World Wildlife Fund website, which listed an inordinate amount of endangered species of wildlife and fauna. After looking through the lists, from other websites too, I decided to choose subjects that seemed to need help the most, were visually interesting, and often had unique backgrounds. Helping nature begins with a basic understanding of what needs our help, and educating the public is the first step.
Greedy Greta: a fable
Cotton rag paper, acrylic screen print, acrylic paint, acrylic pen, and twine
Artist Statement
Greedy Greta is the first of a series of fables which I am writing that reflects our time.
This story is illustrated through Floriography, which is called, “the language of flowers”, and was used in Victorian times as an encoded communication method for secret emotions and messages, and is adopted here to narrate this fable.
The grim ending was inspired by well-known German Folk Tales author, Heinrich Hoffmann and his children’s book titled, “The Struwwelpeter”. Additional inspirations were the collected stories of “New York City Folklore”, by B.A. Botkin, Aesop’s Fables, and “An American Encyclopedia of American Folklore”, by Linda S. Watts. which all clearly frame the identity of a region through storytelling and folklore.
Greedy Greta: a fable, is about a girl that loves flowers too much, and keeps taking them from the garden until there are no more left. She thinks next spring there will be more but they are all gone. So are the bees and the birds.
The lesson: Don’t be greedy or there will be nothing left.
The Morals:
1. that beauty doesn’t last forever,
2. don’t be greedy – leave some for others,
3. knowledge is needed to understand nature