Featuring the world’s top conservation-themed artwork, the annual Artists for Conservation Festival returns to the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. The 2024 festival will see 169 artists showcasing 200 artworks depicting wildlife and nature.
The organization behind the festival, the Artists for Conservation, has a mission to “support wildlife and habitat conservation and environmental education through art that celebrates nature,” explains Jeff White, AFC president and founder. “The festival is the organization’s flagship event and was created to fulfill this mission. It’s the embodiment of ‘art in action.’”
Cher Anderson, Desert Landing, watercolor and gouache on paper, 20 x 16 in.
Whiting adds, “Since its launch, AFC has grown into an international movement at a critical juncture in human history. Over that same period, our natural world has undergone a profound transformation with over 70 percent of global wildlife lost in that time. Human biomass now outweighs the collective weight of all other vertebrates on earth.”
The show kicks off with the preview weekend on September 14 through September 15 at the Maplewood Flats Conservancy. Opening on September 16, is a special exhibit titled Pacific Coast Portraits,featuring local AFC artists. The public event on September 19, begins with a reception from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Johanna Lerwick, Ready to Pounce – Canadian Lynx, oil, 20 x 30 in.
Throughout the entirety of the festival, guests will find artists demonstrating techniques in painting, carving and sculpture. The Delta O.W.L. (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation) Society and Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program, will also have daily visits at the garden with birds of prey from 1 to 4 p.m.
Johanna Lerwick, High Mountain Grizzly, oil, 24 x 36 in.
In addition, the festival honors artist Walt Anderson with the AFC Simon Combes Conservation Award this year, “that serves as an international lifetime achievement award to recognize artists who’ve used their success as an artist to support conservation,” says Whiting.
Another artist to watch is Cher Anderson with her acrylic beauties, Betta Rainbow and Desert Landing. “I am passionate about wildlife and its potential for expression through art,” she says. “The ability to draw from the incredible source that nature offers and the vibrant colors it can be presented in has given me the opportunity to explore my potential to grow in art.”
Joyce Trygg, Fiercest Predator, acrylic, 12 x 9 in.
Johanna Lerwick portrays realistic wildlife subjects found in works like High Mountain Grizzly and Ready to Pounce – Canadian Lynx. Through independent study, the artist notes that she “learned techniques for rendering fur, feathers and other anatomical features of a variety of birds and wildlife. To ensure authenticity of my subjects, I study each animal in their natural habitat and paint them within their specific environment”
After learning about African black-footed cats, and how they are the smallest cats in Africa, artist Joyce Trygg created her piece Fiercest Predator.“A property near me had a conservation breeding program and although they limited human contact, they supplied me with some images,” she says. “These cats, the size of regular housecats, are very ferocious hunters. I think they are beautiful!”
Cher Anderson, Betta Rainbow, acrylic on gesso board, 13½ x 23 in.
The sale of the artworks at the festival, which closes September 22, directly supports conservation organizations of each artist’s choosing. Please visit the festival website for tickets, detailed information and find virtual programming starting August 31. —
Artists for Conservation Festival
VanDusen Botanical Garden
5151 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6M 4H1
www.artistsforconservation.org/festival
www.vandusengarden.org
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