Tag Archives: Save Wild Tigers

“DRAWING for Endangered Species” School Workshops in aid of the BORN FREE FOUNDATION

Posted on by
2
"Drawing for Endangered Species Workshops" Brochure cover by Jane Lee McCracken

“Drawing for Endangered Species Workshops” brochure cover by Jane Lee McCracken and Jack Lowe Studio

This week sees the launch of an inspirational school workshop project ‘Drawing for Endangered Species’ which shares my great passion for drawing and animals.  25% of each workshop fee will be donated to the Born Free Foundation in aid of the vital work they do for wildlife.

'Chimpanzee', Jemma aged 8, East Lothian, black Biro drawing

‘Chimpanzee’, Jemma aged 8, East Lothian, black Biro drawing

Children possess a natural passion for drawing and interest in animals.  In creating an art and educational based workshop, I hope by enthusing children to express themselves through drawing, to create a domain where individual interest and awareness of threatened wildlife and habitats thrives, and continues into adulthood.  Schools give fundamental education to children about the environment and my workshops are designed to respond to individual school curriculums.  I believe teaching children about environmental issues just as I was fortunate enough to be enthused as a child, helps secure a broader understanding for preserving beautiful habitats and wildlife each generation has the privilege to inherit.

'Brown Bears', In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia', black Biro drawing by Jane Lee McCracken

‘The Orphans’, Brown Bears, In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia’, black Biro drawing by Jane Lee McCracken

The workshops are inspired by my recent drawing series ‘In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia’.  Bringing a small pop-up exhibition of my Biro drawings to the classroom and encouraging students’ drawing skills, the workshops also explore positive ways children can help save endangered and threatened species through an interactive science based discussion. Students are then given the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of endangered species through an expressive drawing session using colour Biros.

Year 5, St Peter's Roman Catholic School, Scarborough with their artwork produced during 'Drawing for Endangered Species' workshop

Year 5, St Peter’s Roman Catholic School, Scarborough with their artwork produced during ‘Drawing for Endangered Species’ workshop

Endangered Species badges for each student using an image of their drawing made during workshops are also included.

Endangered Species badges with artwork by Year 5, St Peter's Roman Catholic School, Scarborough

Endangered Species badges with artwork by Year 5, St Peter’s Roman Catholic School, Scarborough

For bookings and enquiries or to receive a brochure with further information about workshops please contact jane@janeleemccracken.co.uk

A huge thank you to brilliant art teacher Mrs Haddington of St Peter’s Roman Catholic School, Scarborough for all her help with this project and to Head Teacher Mrs Louise Finlay, her staff and the students of Year 5 for so generously welcoming a pilot workshop to their school and for all the beautiful artwork they produced.  Also to Jack Lowe Studio for all the hard work and help completing the brochure design.

And an enormous thank you to the Born Free Foundation for supporting this project.  For further information about the Born Free Foundation and the inspirational work they do please visit their website at  www.bornfree.org.uk

'Siberian Tiger', 'Ice Fox' and 'Tiger', limited edition archival pigment prints

‘Siberian Tiger’, ‘Ice Fox’ and ‘Tiger’, limited edition archival pigment prints

In conjunction with this project I will be donating ALL profits made from the sales of the three limited edition archival pigment prints above, beautifully crafted to order by Jack Lowe Studio, to the Born Free Foundation.  Prints are priced at £40 each plus postage – for further details please visit my shop.

 

THE LEGEND OF THE LAST SOUTH CHINA TIGER: PART TWO

Posted on by
2
'Butterfly Lover', black and neon orange Biro drawing made especially for SAVE WILD TIGERS by Jane Lee McCracken

‘Butterfly Lover’, black and neon orange Biro drawing made especially for SAVE WILD TIGERS by Jane Lee McCracken

THE LEGEND OF THE LAST SOUTH CHINA TIGER

PART II ‘Butterfly Lover’, (Drawing Two donated to SAVE WILD TIGERS)

Amoy has survived and thrived under the protection of the Tigress Warriors and grown into the most magnificent male tiger that ever lived in China.  He rolls on his back in the sunshine and plays with butterflies.  Softly the music of the ‘Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto’ drifts over him and turns into musical notes glistening on his sleek fur.  Then, the butterflies begin to transform and suddenly the beautiful face of Zhu Yingtai appears on the wings of the first butterfly.  Amoy is so entranced by her beauty, he begins to dream of a mate.  All of a sudden the face of the most beautiful tigress he could ever imagine emerges on the wings of the second butterfly.  Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo, the ‘Butterfly Lovers’, begin to appear on his fur.  Amoy smiles – he rolls over and dreams of his mate and the survival of his species, and continues to play with butterflies.

(Written especially for SAVE WILD TIGERS The Legend of the Last South China Tiger  accompanies a drawing diptych, of which the second drawing ‘Butterfly Lover’ has been donated to Save Wild Tigers and will be exhibited alongside the work of 20 inspirational artists, curated by Lauren Baker, in ‘THRIVE’ Exhibition, Sanderson Hotel, London, 14th – 19th May and auctioned at the Mango Tree Tiger Dinner, 20th May)

Postscript

I wrote this legend especially for Save Wild Tigers.  ‘Yin and Yang’ was inspired by images from the films ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’, Ang Lee, 2000, ‘Hero’, Zhang Yimou, 2002, ‘House of the Flying Daggers’, Zhang Yimou, 2004, ‘Red Cliff’, John Woo, 2008 and ‘2046’, Wong Kar-wai, 2004.  Taking still photographs of all five films I used these images as inspiration for this drawing. Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Faye Wong become the Goddesses in the clouds of Yang.  The fate of some captive South China tigers is reflected on the sword of the most powerful Tigress Warrior.  ‘Butterfly Lover’ the second drawing made specially for Save Wild Tigers, was inspired by the epic and moving ‘Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto’, Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, 1959 (梁祝小提琴协奏曲 the Chinese title appearing on the fur of Amoy’s shoulder).  The face of the heroine Zhu Yingtai from the old Chinese legend ‘Butterfly Lovers’ is that of Faye Wong from ‘2046’. The drawings symbolise the fate of the South China tiger subspecies, which is thought to only survive in captivity but also carries a message of hope, that Save Wild Tigers are working tirelessly to ensure other tiger subspecies will continue to play with butterflies.

There are less than 3500 tigers left in the wild and thought to be no South China Tigers surviving in the wild.   Join SAVE WILD TIGERS today and help save wild tigers!

20 limited edition archival pigment prints of ‘Butterfly Lover’, made by Jack Lowe Studio will be available to purchase from 14th May with ALL profits donated to Save Wild Tigers.  ‘South China Tiger’ diptych will be released later this year as part of my fine China limited edition plate series “In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia” to celebrate the majesty of tigers and highlight their decline through wildlife crime.

THE LEGEND OF THE LAST SOUTH CHINA TIGER: PART ONE

Posted on by
2
'Yin and Yang', black and neon orange Biro drawing by Jane Lee McCracken

‘Yin and Yang’, black and neon orange Biro drawing by Jane Lee McCracken

THE LEGEND OF THE LAST SOUTH CHINA TIGER

(Written especially for SAVE WILD TIGERS The Legend of the Last South China Tiger  accompanies a drawing diptych, of which the second drawing has been donated to Save Wild Tigers and will be exhibited alongside the work of 20 inspirational artists, curated by Lauren Baker, in ‘THRIVE’ Exhibition, Sanderson Hotel, London, 14th – 19th May and auctioned at the Mango Tree Tiger Dinner, 20th May)

 

‘Yin and Yang’, Drawing One

And so the legend of the last wild South China tiger begins …

Under the constellation of the White Tiger of the West, protected by the sacred Tigress Warriors of Yin, the last wild South China tiger cub, Amoy cowers behind the most powerful of the Tigress Warriors. Amoy can hear the reverberation of horses’ hooves coming closer. In the East under the constellation of the Azure Dragon, the warriors of Yang ride out in search of Amoy. Clouds of dust raised by the galloping cavalry form Goddesses of Love in the sky, anticipating his capture, for the Azure Dragon prizes the bones of the White Tiger’s children. Misguidedly he thinks tiger parts cure disease and heighten passion and has slain Amoy’s relatives one by one.   But the Tigress Warriors are brave and fearless and their swords are sharp. Amoy’s eyes widen with fear as the cavalry draws closer…

Part Two of the legend and the second drawing will be revealed soon…

There are less than 3500 tigers left in the wild and thought to be no South China Tigers surviving in the wild.  But the inspirational SAVE WILD TIGERS UK charity is working tirelessly to save the last remaining wild tigers.  Join them today and help save wild tigers!

20 limited edition archival pigment prints of the second donated drawing, made by Jack Lowe Studio will be available from 14th May with ALL profits donated to Save Wild Tigers.  ‘South China Tiger’ diptych will be released later this year as part of my fine China limited edition plate series “In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia” to celebrate the majesty of tigers and highlight their decline through wildlife crime.

‘THRIVE’ an Inspirational Exhibition for SAVE WILD TIGERS!

Posted on by
4

 

'Shh, it's a Tiger!', luxury fine English china plate by Jane Lee McCracken

‘Shh, it’s a Tiger!’,  Siberian Tiger, ‘In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia’, luxury fine English china plate by Jane Lee McCracken made by THE NEW ENGLISH, Stoke-on-Trent

On 20th May 2014 Save Wild Tigers, an incredible organisation dedicated to saving the worlds last remaining wild tigers will be holding an auction dinner of tiger inspired artwork at the Mango Tree, London.  ‘THRIVE’, a unique and inspirational exhibition of this artwork, made by 20 artists will be shown from 14th – 19th May at the Sanderson Hotel, London.

SJGC1484_SWT_ArtEx_Flyer_A5_v4.indd

I feel exceptionally privileged that a new piece of work made specially for Save Wild Tigers will be exhibited in THRIVE alongside a group of amazing artists and their tiger artwork, curated by exceptional multimedia artist Lauren Baker.

When I was a wee girl tigers were already endangered.  In the mid 1970s after reading that the Caspian Tiger was thought to be extinct I wrote to a company whose advertising campaigns featured a tiger, to ask if they were helping save tigers.  It seemed logical to a child that if a company used an endangered animal in its advertising they must be donating some of their profit to conserve tigers.  I didn’t receive a reply.  By the time the company was donating towards tiger conservation in the 1990s, I was driving tube trains on the Northern Line and still hoping I could do something to help wild tigers.  After all how can we look ourselves in the mirror as a species if we don’t try to save one of the most beautiful and iconic animals on the planet.

Save Wild Tigers is a incredibly innovative organisation who work tirelessly to raise funds which “go directly to targeted and critical tiger conservation projects that make a real difference” including the Born Free Foundation and the Environmental Investigation Agency.  Save Wild Tigers actively encourage people to get involved in helping to save tigers – from artists and other creatives to tiny tigers of our younger generations.

'Shh, it's a Tiger!' and 'Bang!', Siberian tiger luxury fine china plate diptych by Jane Lee McCracken

‘Shh, it’s a Tiger!’ and ‘Bang!’, Siberian tiger “In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia” luxury fine china plate diptych by Jane Lee McCracken made by THE NEW ENGLISH, Stoke-on-Trent

Since pledging the second Biro drawing in a new diptych of South China Tigers for the next two plates in my ceramics series, I have written my own tiger legend especially for Save Wild Tigers.  The drawing will be revealed after the exhibition opening.  A luxury limited edition series of 20 archival pigment prints of the drawing made by master printmaker Jack Lowe Studio will be available to purchase with ALL profits donated to Save Wild Tigers.  Plates No.1 of ‘Shh, it’s a Tiger!’ and ‘Bang!’ will also be auctioned on the 20th of May.

Thank you Save Wild Tigers for all your hard work saving tigers and for including my work in your inspirational exhibition!

'Our Forefathers' and ''Our Loss', Amur Leopard 'In Homage to the Last Great Carnivores of Eurasia', luxury fine English china plate series by Jane Lee McCracken