Gary says “Being amongst rehabilitated Orang-utans in
Borneo had an incredibly powerful effect on me. You really do feel you’re
looking at a wise old unshaven relative; someone to be respected, not to be
made homeless or orphaned.
"When
drawing Plea for the Rainforest, I tried to imagine myself in the mother Orang-utans
place and how she might be feeling. I believe it’s one of my most powerfully
evocative images; the mother dark, pleading and almost tribal looking; the baby,
as babies are, playful and full of innocence. I decided to crop off the bottom
of the mothers’ face to emphasise her soulful eyes and gave them both soggy
hair because it’s very moist and often raining in their homeland.
"Plea
for the Rainforest was launched at the Croydon Framing Centre to an
enthusiastic 200 strong crowd. The day, aptly named ‘Paint the town red’, was
in aid of EIA. Rula Lenska and Dave Currey both gave a heartfelt speech at the
show which raised over £9,000 for EIA’s Rainforest campaign. Avid collector Tony
Belcher spent months compiling a comprehensive limited edition catalogue (sold
out) of all my prints that was also launched on the day. Thanks to his
generosity, that made an extra £5,000 for EIA.”
