Solo Exhibition 2023
A Walk into the Wild
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Cara is a practising Artist and Designer residing in Scotland. Having spent most of her life in the Trossachs, a lot of her work takes inspiration from nature. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and graduated with a Masters of Fine Art in Textiles. After taking an environmental design module - it became clear that something needed to be done in answer to the catastrophic impact that humanity and climate change was having on different species. For this reason, her graduate print design collection: "A Walk into the Wild'' was created. It was formed to highlight the sheer extent to which animals are becoming endangered. After graduating at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, a lot of the work remained unseen in storage; its initial purpose unfulfilled.
Consequently, Cara recently hosted a solo exhibition at the Salt Space Gallery (Glasgow) with the hope to draw attention to the rapid loss of species and to highlight the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, which influenced her work. The exhibition included a combination of fine art pieces: drawings and textiles produced in recent years and during her Masters of Fine Art. Following the success of this exhibition Cara has started work on a new collection of work again inspired by nature which will be exhibited in 2025 at the Cass Art Gallery.
Dream Leopard (Critically Endangered Amur Leopard)
Medium: Graphite on Paper / Dimensions: 59.4 x 84.1 in cm
This drawing depicts a dream-like illustration of the Amur Leopard. This big cat is critically endangered and fewer than 30 exist in the wild. They are found in forests south of Russia on the Chinese border. They are endangered because of forest fires, destroyed habitats, poaching and climate change. All these issues stem back to industry and humanity. This drawing is an emblem for all leopards and is aimed to symbolise that one day we will not have any left, if humanity continues to destroy the jungle and the various habitats these animals live in. The poppies aren’t native to their habitat and again act as a symbol of loss or the more common association of remembrance.
Blue Iguana Study (Endangered)
Medium: Graphite on Paper / Dimensions: 59.4 x 84.1 in cm
This drawing was an early study from the Masters collection ‘A Walk into the Wild”(2020). The intricate patterns and details on this lizard led to subsequent textile prints which formed the artist's MFA collection. Blue Iguana’s were Critically Endangered in 2003 with only 15 individuals found on Grand Cayman. Once again human habitation and vehicular traffic decimated numbers on the Cayman islands. Thankfully over the last two decades the situation has improved and the animals have been downgraded from Critically Endangered to Endangered. In 2018 the population reached 1000.
Last Swim - Green Sea Turtles (Endangered)
Medium: Graphite on Paper / Dimensions: 59.4 x 84.1 in cm
This drawing was done as part of early research. Green Sea Turtles are under threat from pollution, climate change and humanity. They are being over hunted for their eggs, have lost their nesting sites and are often caught or hurt in fishing gear. These beautiful turtles are the largest of their species and only herbivores amongst the turtle species. The ‘Last Swim’ was drawn again, to highlight the situation for these animals. Culturally turtles are a symbol of longevity - not only that; in reality the prehistoric species has existed for over 200 million years. Yet now; 61% of the 365 turtle species are threatened or already extinct. This piece tells not only of this story, but urges the viewer to realise the extent to which humanity is impacting these species.
Hyacinth Macaw (Vulnerable)
Medium: Graphite on Paper / Dimensions: 59.4 x 84.1 in cm
These birds originate in South America (Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia) however they are under threat due to habitat destruction and the live bird trade. Research demonstrated that they were being sold in the UK for £2,500-12,995. Currently it is not illegal to buy a Blue Hyacinth Macaw however it is incredibly hard to breed these birds making them both rare and it is suspiciously unlikely that all breeders are working legally. In several places across America certain birds have become illegal to own or trade with because they have become critically endangered. Perhaps restrictions need to start when an animal is categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN list. This artwork was created to highlight the issue of animal trading which globally is having a massive impact on the World’s species and contributing to the extinction crisis.
Tiger Tiger - Sumatran Tiger (Critically Endangered)
Located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra this tiger is critically endangered due to its loss of jungle habitat, illegal trade and the effects of the palm oil industry. Along with Orangutans native to this area; the animals are gravely endangered. It is estimated that there are only 500-600 tigers left in the wild. However some sources say it could be as little as 400. The illustrative style of this piece was inspired by those found in children’s books. It is black and white to symbolise that one day these animals will be simple illustrations in a book; unless conservation programmes work to fix the impact humanity is having on Sumatran Tigers.
Mother’s Touch - Sumatran Orangutan (Critically Endangered)
Sumatran Orangutans are critically endangered due to humanity's negative impact on their habitats and illegal trade of orangutans as pets. There are less than 7,500 left in the wild. Further threats include hunting and deforestation due to palm oil. 'Orangutan' in Malay means 'man of the forest.' It is ironic that an animal so closely similar to human's is suffering so badly at the hands of us. Humans.
Hiding in the Mountain - Mountain Gorilla (Endangered)
Medium: Graphite on Paper / Dimensions: 59.4 x 84.1 in cm
This drawing portrays Mountain Gorilla’s which are found in The Congo Basin high up in Mountain Forests. Poaching and habitat loss consequently has led to the decline of these gorillas with just over a thousand left in the wild. This drawing was done to convey the species' vulnerability.
Title: 1 Billion Lost
Medium: Graphite and Pen on Paper / Dimensions 59.4cm x 42cm
This piece was created to illustrate the Australian Bush Fire Crisis 2019-2020. When initially drawn (2019) the figure of killed or displaced animals was at 1 billion. In actual fact the figure was at nearly 3 billion making this disaster one of the worst catastrophes in modern history.