The POWER of Art in Conservation

If any of you artists and photographers ever doubt the power of your work to open eyes and change minds, just take a look at this video from respected wildlife artist Robert Bateman.



As artists and photographers with a passion for the planet, we have so many communication tools at our disposal with the new technologies that we can and must share our message, our concerns and our passions in diverse venues. It’s infinitely easier than it’s ever been before to “talk” to multitudes of people with our paintings, photographs, poetry and prose. The internet and venues like Facebook, You Tube and countless other sites make it easy to reach out and find a like minded audience to inspire to action through our work.

It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “the power of one”. So make a promise to yourself to take some time to figure out where to focus your power to help the planet.

And if you aren’t already doing so, you might consider selling your work in the Art for Conservation Gallery. You choose the organization and the amount of your proceeds you wish to donate from each sale of your work.

If you are not ready for selling, you can always BUY something from http://www.artforconservation.org/find/. You’ll be helping an independent artist, a conservation cause and a small but fabulous business!



Linda Helm
VP, Art for Conservation

Anything But Green

I ran across a promo for a juried art show which asked applicants to interpret the theme “Anything But Green”- any way they wanted. I couldn’t help but think about the perceived oversaturation of the word “Green” today, and wondered if that was the impetus for the show theme.

Green fatigue is already a commonplace word in the English lexicon. Susan H. Greenberg wrote an essay about this in a June 30, 2008, Newsweek article by entitled “I’m SO Tired of Being Green”. In it, she interviewed Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the Shelton Group, a U.S. marketing firm that monitors America's environmental pulse.

Shelton Group's latest study, Energy Pulse 2007, revealed that between 2006 and 2007, Americans' enthusiasm for energy-efficient products and services fell across the board. "We are really seeing a backlash to the whole green thing," says Shelton. "We've tested environmental messaging for some clients lately, and we get a lot of eye rolls and deep sighs. We hear things like 'I'm so tired of the green label being slapped on everything,' 'I'm so tired of being guilted into being green'. Confusion creates inner shock, and when consumers are confused, they just do nothing."

OK, so what does that mean for those of us who are still trying to deliver a conservation - a green - message? It says that we have to use more effective tools to get our message across. And that’s where Fine Print Imaging’s green initiative - Art for Conservation - comes in. To successfully deliver a compelling message, one on which people will act, you have to appeal to their emotions.

We KNOW that images deliver a more impactful - more emotional - message than words alone. Fine Print Imaging is working with literally 100s of photographers and artists who are meticulously crafting their art so that it effectively communicates a conservation message. And while this may conjure up imagery of a river with floating debris or a pristine mountain top being scraped to mine for coal, it more often means images showing all of the beauty that our planet has to offer.

Fine Print Imaging and Art for Conservation partner together to provide discounted printing services to these artists. We also provide a beautiful online gallery of their art which helps them raise funds to continue creating art that helps preserve our delicate ecosystem. And we provide a strong social networking component that fosters communication between all of the parties involved in conservation of our natural resources.

One of our strongest partnerships is with the International League of Conservation Photographers. In conjunction with their book on climate change, "A Climate for Life", we created a 50 print exhibit highlighting the photography of the world's top conservation photographers. The gallery wrapped canvas giclee exhibit is touring North America and will eventually land in the offices of Conservation International in Arlington, Virginia.

Rather than screaming our message through a megaphone, we focus on telling the conservation story through imagery. And we tell the stories of our artists and photographers who make these conservation images. Instead of shoving green down people’s throats, we allow them to draw their own conclusions by viewing both beautiful and disturbing images. We KNOW that appealing to their emotions will make a stronger and longer lasting impression.

We would love to help you deliver your conservation message and support your conservation efforts by selling your images. Join us on Art for conservation - http://www.artforconservation.org - and become a member of the Fine Print Imaging family.

www.blogactionday.org

I am not a Conservation Artist

By Kate Dardine

Let’s get this straight. I am not, in the true sense, a conservation artist. While I admire and respect those who dedicate their lives to doing the right thing, to making a difference, I am not one of them. I’d like to make a difference - as long as I can do it in between working 32 hours a week, painting, marketing my art work, spending time with my family, taking care of my dogs and horses, paying bills, doing laundry…yadda yadda yadda.

My time for volunteering for causes – no matter how much I’d LIKE to help, is pretty much non-existent. After all, I do need to sleep sometimes. BUT…I CAN do something. I can donate my artwork to causes I feel strongly about. I know, some of you are rolling your eyes, thinking, “If one more non-profit asks me to donate my work I’m going to scream.” I know how you feel. However – guess what? You can choose the causes you donate to. And…if you are a painter, you don’t have to donate original artwork. That is the beauty of prints. In many cases, Art for Conservation’s Printing Partnership Program can provide printing for you at a reduced price.

It’s true, Art for Conservation works with some of the top names in Conservation Photography. Photographers who dedicate their lives to telling the conservation story. But really, these devoted individuals make up only a fraction of artists and photographers in the Art for Conservation Gallery. Most are artists like me – people who care about the environment, but for whatever reason are not able or willing to dedicate their lives to doing something about it. But we can help, by donating paintings or prints to auctions which benefit environmental causes. And, like me, you can sell prints of your work through Art for Conservation’s online gallery. All artists on the site have agreed to donate at least one percent of the sale price of prints sold to the conservation organization of their choosing. Art for Conservation also donates one percent. With each of us giving up just a little, together we can make a big difference!

Click here to see Kate Dardine's prints on Art for Conservation.