"Animalia I (Woodland Caribou)" is the first in a new series of mixed media / collage paintings featuring endangered animals. The next one may feature a tiger or a polar bear.
12 × 12″ on 2" deep wood panel. Mixed media includes: graphite, colored pencils, oil pastel, acrylic and paper collage (paper is stained with inks and red wine. I had a hard time photographing this and getting the colors to look accurate. The background is more of a buff color, rather than the ivory you see in this photo.
Migratory Woodland Caribou (also known as Forest Caribou) reside in Canada and the northern reaches of the United States, but is currently endangered because of habitat loss and environmental stresses.
According to Wikipedia:
“In the United States the woodland caribou is one of the most critically endangered mammals, with only a few woodland caribou found south of the Canada border each year. In the US there is only one naturally occurring herd of woodland caribou in extreme northern Idaho, eastern Washington, and British Columbia, Canada, of about 40 animals. There is, however, a concerted effort on the part of the North Central Caribou Corporation and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to reintroduce a herd of around 75 animals from the Slate Islands in Lake Superior to northern Minnesota. However, the high incidence of whitetail deer and wolves in the region will likely prove quite problematic.”
