Painting vanished species

Isabella Kirkland, a painter based in California, usa, has created a series of 3-by-4-feet canvases, called Taxa, on a variety of species. The six paintings, each of which took about a year to create, memorialize species that have vanished from the planet during the ascent of humans; those that are finding new niches as humans spread plants and animals around the globe; those collected or harvested illegally or too aggressively; American species in decline; and-- most hopefully--animals and plants that were thought to be extinct, or on the brink of vanishing, but have now staged a come back.

According to Kirkland, "The paintings explore how biodiversity science can inform art-making and how art objects contribute to political and scientific dialogues." The paintings can also be seen at Kirkland's web site, www.isabellakirkland.com.