NORTH Yorkshire contemporary artist Claire Milner has produced a collection of seven endangered animal species portraits made with thousands of Swarovski crystals.
They highlight the plight of vulnerable species with references to classical literature and Latin phrases.
The artist, who has a studio near Harrogate, made her name with a portrait of Marilyn Monroe incorporating 65,000 crystals which was bought by the pop star Rihanna.
Her new work presents beautiful images which on closer inspection show a darker subtext linked to poaching, climate change and habitat loss.
The technical precision of the crystal mosaic faces contrasts with ominous painted backgrounds which include graffiti and messages in Latin, the symbolically dead language.
Milner’s work has achieved significant attention in the UK and abroad.
She said: “This is a subject very close to my heart. The collection has involved hundreds of hours of emotionally draining research, as well as the individual application of tens of thousands of crystals, so to see the paintings finally finished and getting such a positive response is fabulous.” Each of the seven animals is a flagship species and illustrates her goal of raising awareness of the rate at which species are becoming extinct.
The Amur Leopard was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and is an allegory for the greed of man. A rhinoceros symbolises human existence in relation to abuse of the natural world.
The works are available for sale through the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London.
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