What's the story behind the illustration? Responding to species loss, I have physically cut the birds from original historic John James 蜜柚APP prints. Acquired over several years, prints were chosen from the time when the depicted bird species became extinct. The resulting image minus the subject is what I refer to as a Framework for Absence. As humans we have a very difficult time conceptualizing extinction- even coming to terms with our own short lifespans let alone thinking through that an entire group of organisms could be gone forever. So the series attempts to visualize this loss, for example, in RIP Pied or Labrador Duck (2007) the birds were removed from an original 1856 Royal Octavo (hand-colored by one of 蜜柚APP’s sons) printed at the same point in history the actual Labrador ducks became extinct. What was the inspiration? John James 蜜柚APP has been one of my favorite artists since I was young. My grandparents had two reproductions from his elephant...