‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ colour Biro drawing on found Oriental Fan, Jane Lee McCracken 2014
From 2nd – 6th October 2014, ‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ my latest artwork made exclusively for Save Wild Tigers (SWT) will embark on an epic journey aboard the Eastern and Oriental Tiger Express. Departing from Raffles Hotel Singapore, travelling through the spectacular Malaysian countryside to Thailand, this original colour Biro drawing on a found Oriental Fan will be auctioned at journey’s end with all proceeds going directly to Save Wild Tigers.
‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ colour Biro drawing on found Oriental Fan and ‘Amoy’ black Biro drawing on red silk box interior, Jane Lee McCracken 2014
‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ symbolises the depth of tradition through the iconography of a hand fan; as tiger species struggle to endure the 21st century, locked in a battle with traditional medicine, one of the greatest threats to their survival, this piece highlights the fact that tiger evolution is even older than tradition and my belief that tigers should now be placed above tradition in order to preserve them. A fluttering hand fan also represents that tigers teeter on the edge of extinction in the wild. ‘The Legend of the Last South China Tiger’ written and drawn especially for SWT focuses on the fate of the South China Tiger subspecies, which is thought to only survive in captivity.
“In creating ‘Cherry Blossom Girl”, I wanted to portray ‘hope’ that it is possible to save wild tigers. Saving tigers has been a lifelong passion since I was a small child and learned that the Caspian Tiger had finally been declared extinct. I hope this piece echoes the wondrous sights passengers will absorb during their journey and serve as a memento of an extraordinary experience. It was a challenging piece to make, drawing directly onto a wooden fan with colour Biro, a medium that allows no room for error. But this resonates with the hard work of SWT, a cause dedicated to maintaining the enrichment of our world by allowing us to share it with one of the most beautiful creatures that has ever existed.”
‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ colour Biro drawing on found Oriental Fan, detail
Guests onboard The Tiger Express are bound for SWT’s event of the year ‘The Majestic Tiger Ball’, The Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 3rd October 2014. SWT have organised a spectacular evening of entertainment from ballet to fashion to an auction of exquisite tiger art. Included in the Majestic Tiger Ball art auction are luxury large print No.1/20 ‘Butterfly Lover’ and No’s 2/200 china plates ‘Shhh, it’s a Tiger!” and “Bang!”.
For further information about Save Wild Tigers inspirational ‘Inspire’ events this October please visit www.savewildtigers.org
The complete legend is now available to read at www.janeleemccracken.co.uk
Jane Lee McCracken, Artist 
Beautiful work on this lovely fan. Even better on enlargement. I hope it does well, when auctioned for the charity. I wouldn’t mind going on that trip. I once had a Singapore Sling on the terrace of Raffles Hotel, and it was a lovely place to visit. (Not allowed inside, as I was wearing shorts! Very Colonial still…)
Very best wishes from Norfolk, Pete.
Many thanks Pete for your kind comments about the fan, it was such a difficult piece to make and very excited that it is going to make such an epic journey of its own for tigers! It promises to be an extraordinary experience for those onboard, travelling through the Malaysian countryside. Yes I’ve heard shorts are a no no in Raffles! : ) Hope you enjoyed your Singapore Sling! Very best wishes from a sunny NE basking in an Indian summer. Jane x