What is Conservation Art, Anyway?

A couple of summers ago, I took a course called Environmental History. On the first day of class, as had been true in every other class I’d taken before then, we were asked to tell our classmates a little bit about ourselves. When I mentioned my interest in conservation art (or art for conservation), I was surprised that no one, including the professor, knew anything about it but I was also encouraged by the student’s and professor’s enthusiasm to know more.

Okay then, what is conservation art?

First of all, look in any dictionary and you will find that the term conservation means the preservation from destruction and/or neglect. Well, to me, because I am a nature lover, conservation means the preservation of wild animals, birds and habitat. Thus, in the case of conservation art, that means any art (though, in most cases, the genre or theme is nature or wildlife) that is used to raise funds for wetlands purchase and protection, or the preservation of threatened and endangered species, or the protection of wild lands against human encroachment, and so on. Admittedly though, when one mentions conservation art, more often than not, it’s “duck stamps” or waterfowl art that comes to mind.

Duck stamps?

Yes, they’re affectionately referred to as duck stamps! But, they’re really called migratory waterfowl stamps. Every duck or waterfowl hunter must purchase a Federal Migratory Waterfowl Stamp as part of their license, although, you don’t have to be a hunter to buy one, they are available for purchase by anyone. In addition to the Federal Duck Stamp program, many states also have conservation stamp programs and many of those are also required as part of a hunter’s license. And, again, these stamps are available for sale to non-hunters as well.

But now, back to conservation art … before any of these stamps are issued to hunters, stamp collectors or conservationists, they are art competitions or commissioned works of art. The granddaddy of them all is the Federal Migratory

Original artwork by William C. Morris

Stamp Art Competition. It was started in 1934 as commissioned work then later changed to an art competition. I first learned about this stamp art program back in 1984 (or, maybe it was 1983), from an article that appeared in an issue of Smithsonian magazine, when the program was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Well, the program is now 76 years old and, through the sale of those stamps, has “raised more than $700 million that has been used to acquire more than 5.2 million acres of habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System” (see The Federal Duck Stamp Program).

Massachusetts Duck Stamp is “Unique”

Many state duck stamp programs aren’t nearly as old as the Federal program, probably around thirty-five to forty years old on average, however, for most state programs, it was the Federal program that set the standard, so to speak, when it came to the rules that artists must follow, that is, the design must depict “[a] live portrayal of [the duck].” But Massachusetts duck stamp art rules are “unique” in that the design must portray “a WORKING (not decorative) decoy of a duck, goose, or shorebird made by a known or unknown deceased, Massachusetts decoy maker” (see my earlier entry called “Massachusetts ‘Duck Stamp’ Competition to be ‘Revisisted’”).

Canvasback Drake Decoy head by unknown carver. This working decoy is in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.

This is NOT a duck stamp entry but is from a series of decoy portraits that I’ve been creating as a personal project. The artwork is in watercolor and watercolor gouache applied using an airbrush and traditional brushes on Ampersand Claybord.

Conclusion

Of course, conservation art is so much more than just duck stamps. As was mentioned earlier, conservation art is any art used to raise funds for the preservation of all that is wild and can be rendered in oil, watercolor, colored pencil or graphite, or it can be sculptures in wood or stone or metal, and so on. Oh! And other labels apply to conservation art as well such as art for conservation, environmental art and art for sustainability, although fair warning here, some of these labels, in particular, environmental art can have other meanings too (in this case, environmental art is sometimes applied to outdoor sculpture that poses no harm to the environment). But, it really doesn’t matter what label you apply here or what medium you choose to work in. What is important is that the purpose of the art be for the preservation of planet earth and all of the life that call this planet home!

Come Back Soon, Motmot!

Sometimes, it takes the observations of a special visitor to open our own eyes to what is so special about where we live. I mean, sure, as New Englanders, we know that we have some of the most beautiful coast line in the United States. And, we are especially noted for our splashy autumn foliage displays! But, who would’ve thought to be so enthralled over our cemeteries, or our recent display of various mushrooms, or our small but curious critters, and so on?!

If you want to see through the eyes of that special visitor, an Oklahoman who calls her blog “Drawing The Motmot,” then you must read a New England Love Letter, part 1!

Thank you, Motmot, and please come back soon!

Before and After

This was a favorite morning walking place back in the early 80s for myself, my dog (the one on the left) and a neighbor’s dog.

But sadly, for me at least, this is what that walking place looks like today, some twenty-five years later.

Yes, I could just cry!

A Shared Blog … Well, Sort of!

For quite some time now, I’ve been trying to get my mother (Gertrude) to share this blog with me. She is, after all, a nature lover just as I am. But, she is also an artist and illustrator with accomplishments that far exceed my own. She has been my art teacher and she is my most trusted artistic adviser as much as I would hope she considers me to be her most trusted artistic adviser. Most important, however, is that she has been and will always be my best friend and life confidante.

But, while we share much in the way of art, we also have many, many differences. Choice of foods comes to mind; my mother loves sweets and feels that I want everything with tomatoes. Choice of reading matter is another difference; she likes mysteries and crime novels, I prefer biographies and autobiographies. Which brings me to one of our biggest differences, that is, I also enjoy writing and she does not.

Okay then, in the eyes of some this may seem to be an insurmountable obstacle! Well, not so for my mother and myself. You see, we have always worked well together, using each other’s strengths to work as a team. Thus, here’s the deal we’ve made … from time to time, I will be posting some of her art with a little bit about the piece such as her motivation, the challenges in achieving the look she wanted, and so on. In other words, she will provide the images (her art) and I will do the writing. This is how we will “sort of” share this blog!

An Introductory Piece

Oil is, perhaps, Gertrude’s favorite medium. So, what better way to introduce her artwork here than with this 24″ by 24″ oil on linen canvas titled Patriots!

Gertrude does pet portraits on commission, but, after seeing a photograph of this pair of golden retrievers in a local newspaper, she decided that this would be a project that she’d like to do just for fun. The dogs belong to a couple that used to live near the beginning of our street and they took the photo while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Gertrude contacted them to ask for permission to paint their dog’s portrait and to ask if a color image was available. The dog’s owners were thrilled and gladly mailed a copy of the original color photograph.

At first, Gertrude had planned to simply paint the dog’s portraits just as they appeared in that photograph, however, trying to create a feeling of “depth” (from the mountains in the background) proved troublesome. No matter what she tried, the background just seemed to interfere, taking attention away from the dogs. Putting the painting away for a while helped and finally, Gertrude came up with the idea of creating a kind of “portrait photographer’s backdrop” approach. In this way, the background does not interfere, the dogs become the focus of attention and the viewer is able to concentrate on the dog’s expressions.

Well, there you have it, my mother’s first entry to our blog! So, … what do you think?

I know that I’m impressed with my mother’s artistic abilities, but, just as important, I can’t say enough just how thrilled I am to FINALLY be sharing this blog with her, even if it is just “sort of!”

Finally, to Blog Without Obligation

There are moments, forever to remain inexplicable, when a certain harmony seems to descend upon the scene, some divine unity that briefly blends me into the habitat and lets me enter the forbidden sanctum of the [natural] world, … Then the pictures I came to get seem relegated to a subordinate place, mere mementos of a loveliness that only pure memory can recall.

—Gordon Sherman
(Original from “With One Eye Open”
Birder’s World, November/December 1988 )

West, Larry and Julie Ridl, “Afterword,” How to Photograph Birds, Stackpole Books, 1993, Harrisburg, PA

_______

First and foremost, I am a nature lover, observer and conservationist. Second, I’m a photographer and illustrator. I can’t tell you the number of times that I, just like Gordon Sherman, have put down the camera or the sketchpad to simply “take in and enjoy” the sight of a beautiful sunrise, or to look closely at the way in which a pussy willow collects fine dew drops, or the way in which flower petals “shimmer” in sunlight as if dusted with a silvery powder, or, even the way in which a single droplet of water reflects light in much the same way as a multifaceted diamond reflects light.

Yet, when I have put down my camera or sketchpad, when I have collected “mementos” in my memory rather than record the scenes before me on film, I have never felt even the slightest bit of guilt about doing so. So, I ask you then, why is it that I feel such a sense of guilt if I don’t blog often enough? And, by often enough, I mean the “recommended” two to three times a week that so many “blogging experts” purport to be the absolute minimum that any serious blogger should aim for! This blog was, after all, meant to be a personal one. In fact, I’ve noticed that even business or professional bloggers don’t always post entries two to three times a week, some post entries as little as once a week!

And, I’m not the only blogger who seems to feel such guilt when not blogging. Take, for example, aullori who, needing to take a break due to tendonitis in her right elbow, apparently found it necessary to post an entry that she called slight pause, writing that “hopefully no one is offended …” if she took a little time off.

Still, a solution never occurred to me and I, like so many others, would simply keep making my apologies for not being the “dutiful” blogger that I felt was expected of me. Until, that is, while perusing “other” blogs, I noticed some with a button in their sidebars with the letters B.W.O. Curious, I then clicked on the button and was brought to a site called tartx with the title of the entry being called blogging without obligation. In the first paragraph, Tiffini writes “After coming across what seemed to be the 4000th or so post on someone’s blog starting with ‘I’m sorry I haven’t posted in awhile.’ … I am thinking that no one should utter those words again … and with that thought I give you Blogging Without Obligation.”

Tiffini then proceeded to list the following reasons why no one should feel guilty about the amount of blogging that they choose to do. They are,

• Because you shouldn’t have to look at your blog like it is a treadmill.
• Because it’s okay to just say what you have to say. If that makes for a long post, fine. Short post, fine. Frequent post, fine. Infrequent post, fine.
• Because it’s okay to not always be enthralled with the sound of your own typing.
• Because sometimes less is more.
• Because only blogging when you feel truly inspired keeps up the integrity of your blog.
• Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone.
• Because for most of us blogging is just a hobby. A way to express yourself and connect with others. You should not have to apologize for lapses in posts. Just take a step back and enjoy life, not everything you do has to be “bloggable.”
• Because if you blog without obligation you will naturally keep your blog around longer, because it won’t be a chore. Plus, just think you will be doing your part to eradicate post pollution. One post at a time …

I couldn’t agree with her more! As a matter of fact, I can’t tell you what a great sense of relief that I experienced after reading this post.

Tiffini has made a bunch of logos or buttons, inviting anyone who “feel[s] the same way [to] feel free to grab a logo, …” You bet I grabbed that logo!

I’d like to thank Tiffini for letting us inconsistent “guilt ridden” bloggers “off the hook” so to speak and for allowing us that sense of relief to continue on Blogging Without Obligation.

Past Entries Revisited

Whoa! I sure can tell by my blog stats that I haven’t been blogging for a while! I’ll give a brief explanation for my absence in a bit. But, hey, first things first! Let’s start with revisiting a couple of my past entries like the one I called A Confederate Soldier.

William Buckner Taylor was described as a young man of “light complexion, light hair and gray eyes, his height was 5′ 5 1/2 inches.” When he enlisted at “Pinner’s Point, Norfolk County, … VA on February 19, 1862[,]” he was just 18 years old and listed his occupation as a laborer.

Mr. Taylor was first captured on “July 3rd, 1863 at Gettysburg and sent to Point Lookout, Maryland[.]” On February 18th, 1865, he was exchanged but then recaptured “on April 1, 1865 at Five Forks, and released on June 20, 1865 from Hart’s Island, New York.”

Where Mr. Taylor lived and worked, met his wife and raised his family between 1865 and 1900, I cannot say at this time. However, in the 1900 census, Mr. Taylor is listed as a stone mason and widower, “age 59, birth is listed as Feb 14, 1841[.]” This means that he should have been 21 years old instead of 18 years old at the time of his enlistment and that the date on his headstone is incorrect too. But, if you’ve ever tried researching your own family history, you would know that these discrepancies are quite common.

Living in his household in Topsfield, MA, according to the 1900 census, were his children,

“Mary B Taylor, age 15, birth April 28, 1885, born in MA
Lilian B Taylor, age 13, birth November 20, 1887, born in MA
William O. Taylor, age 6, birth March 27, 1894, born in MA”

And, by the 1910 census, William Buckner Taylor was listed “as a boarder in the home of Norman McLeod [in Topsfield], his age is listed as 69.”

Mr. Taylor passed away in 1911 and while he is buried in Topsfield, MA, “[t]here is a memorial marker to him located in Oak Grove Cemetery, Portsmouth, Va.”

Oh yes! About that grave marker … this “is a military headstone, provided by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. They will provide a headstone when one is not present for a veteran of the Civil War, both Confederate and Union, … [although] who requested it, I can’t tell you, … [i]t could be that a Son’s of Union Veteran’s could have requested it.”

—Cynthia Buck-Thompson [Personal email, June 8 and 9, 2008]

***

Cynthia Buck-Thompson is a Civil War Living Historian as well as “the family genealogist.” Her husband reenacts with the 9th Virginia, Company B as well as Artillery for the Maryland Park Service.

I’d like to thank Cindy for all the work she did to answer my questions, every bit of the information listed here has been provided by Cindy.

***

Another entry that I’d like to revisit is the one that I called Spring Greens, especially, the part in which I mentioned the rhododendrons at Bradley Palmer State Park. They weren’t in bloom back in April and, thus, I was unable to post any photographs on my blog. So, I wrote “I promise not to let you down. I will keep track of their progress and take many photos to post when the time is right.”

Well, I did keep track. The “buds” seemed to be many, the only “flaw” I expected was the fact that some heavy pruning had been done among the lower branches. Still, new growth was appearing and I fully expected that the shear number of blossoms would be enough to “detract” from the pruning.

Unfortunately, by mid-June, when the parks’ rhododendrons should have been in all their glory, … well, … much to my surprise, not to mention my disappointment, there were barely a handful of blossoms! Oh, there were plenty of buds that had opened up, but few of those buds had any blossoms to show. I just couldn’t believe my eyes!

Perhaps, even stranger still, was the fact that, back in April, I had taken a couple of cuttings from the rhododendrons. (Now, before you all come down on me for taking cuttings of plants in a state park, please remember that these rhododendrons are hardly “wild.” Bradley Palmer State Park was once the estate of its namesake, “a noted attorney of the early 1900s who represented Sinclair Oil in the Teapot Dome Scandal and President Wilson at the Versailles Peace Conference after the First World War.” These rhododendrons were purposely placed to “line old carriage roads.” Besides, remember that the rhododendrons had already been heavily pruned! Apparently, though, their caretakers forgot to fertilize them. [Bradley Palmer State Park])

When I got the cuttings back home, I placed them in a vase then placed the vase in my bay window. But, for weeks, nothing happened. The cuttings didn’t die but the buds didn’t swell either. Then, about the beginning to the middle of June, suddenly the buds just shot up and opened up and I had rhododendron blossoms in my bay window!

Is that not weird or what? Did I have a premonition of sorts? I mean, really, the only other explanation that I can give you is that I did fertilize the cuttings, albeit with an indoor plant food, but still!

***

Okay, now about that brief explanation for my absence from blogging these past few weeks.

You see, I am fast approaching a very special anniversary. On August 27, 2008, I will become a five-year breast cancer survivor and, while I am just thrilled to pieces to be reaching this milestone, as I reflect on how far I’ve come in these past five years, I’ve also become acutely aware that I have not taken as good care of myself as I had promised I would do once I was finished with therapy. Oh, don’t get me wrong now, I haven’t fallen to pieces altogether! But, once in a while, we all need to step back and take a good look at where we’ve been and where we want to take our lives next. Fact is, this was just the perfect time for me to do that!

So, what more can I say? I’ve had my break from blogging, I’ve made some new plans, including some new ideas for this blog, and, … well, … I’m back! I sincerely hope you’ll all forgive me for my absence and, I certainly hope to see you all return too.

A “Real” Unicorn!

Yeah! Really! Check out this unicorn living in Tuscany.

A Confederate Soldier

Quite some time ago, I recall reading, probably in Yankee magazine, that nearly every cemetery in New England, … then again, maybe that was in the Northeast, … has at least one Confederate soldier buried there. And, if memory serves me, I believe that most of these men had been prisoners of war but then at war’s end, they decided to settle in the area rather than return to their respective home states.

Now, every Memorial Day, when small representations our nations flag are placed alongside the headstones of those men and women who served in the military, an additional Confederate flag is placed alongside the headstone of Topsfield’s lone Confederate soldier!

The grave of William Buckner Taylor
Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield, Massachusetts

So, … why is that? In fact, why is his headstone specially marked with his Confederate service, that is, Company I, 9th Virginia Infantry?

Is this a “military” style headstone? Did he specifically request that his Confederate service be noted?

Well, I can tell you one thing, my curiosity has been aroused for several years now … it is just this year that I finally decided to do something about it. However, I’m not interested solely in William Buckner Taylor’s Confederate service. I’d like to know a little bit about the man! I mean, why did he choose to stay in this area? Did he leave family in Virginia or had they perished during the war? Did he have a family here and where are they buried? What kind of work did he do? What other kinds of interests did he have? And on and on …

Unfortunately, these questions cannot be answered quickly. Definitely not quickly enough for a blog entry. However, using the little bit of information from William Taylor’s headstone as well as a two hour “Google” search, here’s what I’ve got so far.

First, the obvious … William Buckner Taylor was born in 1844 which means that he would have been 17 years old when the Civil War began and 21 years of age when it ended. Taylor died in 1911 which means he would have been about 67 years of age.

I’m afraid that the biggest challenge thus far comes from the fact that the name of William Taylor (and even William Buckner Taylor) from Virginia, even those born in 1844, is VERY common! (But that fact can also make the search all the more fun!)

And now for some “background” information … there was a 9th Virginia Infantry Regiment and a 9th Virginia Infantry Battalion. If Taylor served in the 9th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Company I was at one time known as the “Craney Island Light Artillery” and he may then have seen “action” in places like the Second Manassas, Harper’s Ferry, Fredericksburg, and even Cemetery Hill in the battle of Gettysburg.

Sadly, Virginia saw the most battles during the Civil War … 123 to be exact (Civil War Battle Summaries by State). One can only speculate then that there wouldn’t have been much left of that beautiful countryside to return to, not to mention an economy in shambles. Certainly, some very compelling reasons not to return to one’s native state. In addition, like any war in any part of the world, human casualties are not limited to those in uniform. Many civilians perish as well from injury, hunger and disease. Was this the fate of William Buckner Taylor’s family?

***

I must admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of American Civil War history. However, I have always loved biographies and/or personal histories, especially of those “invisible” individuals (aka, “non” celebrities or “the rest of us”). And, being able to place a person in a specific time period has alway given that “moment” in history greater significance or “substance” if you will. Well, at least, it does for me.

So, while this may be a limited beginning, I am pleased with the results thus far. Trust me, however, this is just the start!

***

Note: For an update to this entry, please visit Past Entries Revisited

A Rose by Any Other Name

Have you noticed how the common names of plants sometimes depend on where you live? Okay! Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “well, that was an obvious statement.” But, when I say it depends on where you live, I don’t mean that you must live great distances apart like from the east coast to the west coast or from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. No, when I say it depends on where you live, I mean as in my situation, in the same state, just a few miles apart, from inland to along the coast!

Take, for example, a rose whose Latin name is Rosa rugosa. Inland, they’re called a wrinkled rose but, along the coast, they’re called a beach rose. Same clothes, different label. Go figure!

But, what is even more amazing, is just how much this rose seems to LOVE neglect. Heck, I think it even LOVES abuse! I mean, really, what other plant does not want any TLC? Especially a rose! I have two of these rose bushes in my yard and nearly killed them when I tried to rid them of ants. And the plants along the coast? They endure salt spray and salty sand. I think that’s just INCREDIBLE!

Just take a look at this beach rose blossom! And look at those healthy leaves!

And when I say along the coast, I don’t mean just in the vicinity, I mean right along the shoreline as in this next photo!

Oh! How I wish I could include the fragrance of these rose blossoms in this post! It is pure heaven!

Now the Slipper Fits!

The other day, we had thunderstorms that brought much needed rain. However, those rains came in the form of torrential rains and all I could think about was the moccasin flower or lady slipper that I had promised to photograph when it had fully blossomed. I worried mostly because, for reasons beyond my comprehension, this lady slipper has been the only sample that I’ve been able to find this year. And, believe me folks, I’ve been looking!

But, I needn’t have worried. Much to my surprise and delight, it was still standing and by the next morning, the slipper looked better than it has during the days preceding the thunderstorms!

So, … for those of you waiting to see a lady slipper that now fits (in full bloom), here it is!

So, does it look like a pair of lady slippers to you? Personally, were it not for the pink color, I like the name moccasin flower better!