Book Description

California is rich in natural biodiversity, but over the last century our state has lost 75% of its indigenous plant and animal species primarily due to habitat loss caused by human influences. Most of the state of California lies within a biodiversity hotspot known as the California Floristic Province, an area of the highest diversity of endemics, plants, and animals that are not found anywhere else in the world. California was named a biodiversity hotspot in 1996, with only 33 other places in the world designated as such. Part of what makes California a hotspot is that its spectacular biodiversity is seriously threatened by human population growth resulting in intensified use of natural resources and habitat loss. This reality led to the focus of my graduate work, which takes both an objective and subjective stand, and culminated in my MFA thesis exhibition: Modern Extinctions: Visually Interpreting Species Extinction in Southern California. Modern Extinctions was exhibited in the Flor y Canto Gallery, November 12-15, 2012, at San Diego State University in California. Since my goal is to educate others and raise public awareness based on current research by leading scientists and researchers in the field, the method I chose to achieve these goals is Information Graphics, which can visually interpret scientific data. In Modern Extinctions, I employed information graphics in a way that would clearly communicate with an audience that also includes school-age children. I illustrated the data using a color pencil technique and presented the material in both print and interactive, screen-based media. My graphic models visually transform dry facts, statistics, and complex data into accessible information through hand-drawn illustrations. My handmade limited-edition books and woodcut prints provide a meaningful, subjective outlet to express my personal anger and frustration over the accelerated rate of species extinction. The final project of the exhibit is an interactive app developed for the education department at the San Diego Zoo Global, Institute for Conservation Research at Safari Park.