Onka Exhibit at La Valise Hotel. Art With Me Tulum, Mexico 04.24.19-04.28.19

 
 
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Art Exhibit in Support of Jaguar Conservation

Art With Me Festival

La Valise Hotel - Tulum Mexico

Wednesday, April 24 - Sunday, April 28 2019

Thursday April 25 6pm - 10pm

Sunset drinks, a short video viewing and artist talk about jaguar conservation

 

25% of sales will be donated to ‘The Onka Initiative’

in support of jaguar conservation

 

‘Onka’ is a curated exhibition of artwork depicting wildlife, & particularly the beauty between wildlife, nature & its meaning to the local people. The artwork not only provides a visual experience, but inspiration for viewers to look deeper & yearn to be admits Mexico’s precious fauna.

With survival being a consistent theme throughout the collection, each work of art has its own story of strength & struggle. The exhibition is surreal & imaginative with layers of emotion, more of a reinvention of a natural environment. Characters from the iconic jaguar to the black howler monkey are depicted in Kirsten’s artistic form.

 
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The Onka Initiative seeks to promote wildlife conservation as an educational pillar, & to formalize a database for local research to inform local & regional initiatives, successfully protecting jaguars across the country. This initiative aims to provide ongoing education & tools for the development of wildlife conservation among aspiring conservationists in the Yucatan Peninsula.

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La Valise is characterized as a place of tranquility and peace, with vibrant detail, where time seems to stand still, it is focused on attention to hedonistic travelers looking for comfort and a memorable journey. It is a home away from home, a place to relax, explore and create.

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Art With Me is a community-driven arts and culture festival centered around the celebration of art in all its forms, with an intention to enrich the local community, preserve the natural environment, and strengthen the artistic development of Tulum thorough conscious and sustainable practices.

 
 
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MIAMI ART EXHIBITion

Kirsten takes a surreal approach in exploring the anatomy of humans and animals in A Hoary Fiction. Concepts regarding both subjects are present in oil paintings of the human figure melting away alongside sculptures of expressive human faces on the bodies of taxidermy birds such as grouse, flycatchers, and hawks. Taxidermy is a frequently used medium within her casted resin sculptures to create an organic flow to the artwork. All of the pieces from this collection have a good sense of humor and push the ‘expected’ limits, in all directions.

Shakespear, shaking the ecosystem with the invasion of Starling birds.

“The king forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer. But I will find him when he is asleep, and in his ear I’ll holler ‘Mortimer!’ Nay I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but Mortimer, and give it to him to keep his anger still in motion.”

-William Shakespear, HENRY IV, ACT 1.



It only took Shakespeare a few poetic lines and the mere mention of the ‘starling’ bird species to shake the ecological balance of North America. In the 1800’s a wealthy admirer of Shakespeare’s work released 60 of these beautifully iridescent migrants in New York with the intention of surrounding himself with the wildlife in  Shakespeare’s writing. Without a clear projection of the imbalance that would be created from the introduction of an alien species, he is costing the agriculture industry $800 million dollars annually. He brought in what is now considered one of the most damaging non-native species in the United States. Starlings are known as a bio-invasion for damaging fields, carrying diseases that infect humans and livestock, and stealing the nesting site of other birds.


It’s a shame though; these beautiful birds have a dreadful reputation when we are to blame. Farmers curse these speckled migrants, kill, trap, and hire abatement services to scare them off. I understand that they do not belong here, and that they are damaging. But take a step back and admirer these warriors. Since, from an evolutionary standpoint they have been so adapting and have created such a dominating role in our ecosystem. I think they are striking Aves specimen, I have personally mounted this deceased starling to be admired for its attractive plumage as natures gift, earth’s art.

The Elephant Parade

 

This is an individual I've created to unite with the (aprox.) 50,000 Asian Elephants left on this earth. With her, I hope the population count is now 50,001. She, who wears her insides on the outside so we can understand just how beautiful, strong and kind evolution has been to her.

This is a very basic take on the conservation work that is really taking place, but beautiful in its simplicity. Of course I do not expect that the one elephant I paint has directly increased to the elephant population, but the attention this elephant grabs and the proceeds from the purchase are in support of the Asian Elephant Foundation. It really can be that simple, and you can help too.

The Elephant Parade is a worldwide celebration for the monumental life of the Asian Elephant. It creates public awareness, and support for the conservation of elephants through art. The Asian Elephant is severely threatened with extinction. With a loss of 95% of its habitat and 90% of their population, they are struggling. We cannot leave them to fight their own battle, the one we started. Join the herd, and paint an elephant to life for them. Purchase an Artbox off the Elephant Parade Website:

http://www.elephantparadewebshop.com/us/ep-art-box

Save The Rhino----https://www.facebook.com/events/255759501263958/?fref=ts

December 6th-      The day following the death of Nelson Mandela was spent celebrating the life of a heartening and devoted man, worldwide. On that day I was presented with a rare sighting so memorable I wanted to share it with you. Nelson we called him, the one day old White Rhinoceros peering through the branches, as if they were enough to disguise his soon to be large massed body. Beside him guarded his gigantic Mother. Such an amazing Mommy. An adult rhino can grow up to 3,080 lbs. A number that is relatively close to the number of some species of rhino’s left in the world. So you can imagine my excitement to have witness the population of these gentle giants raised by one. A lovely little one.

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