“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Happy Monday, friends! I so hope you all enjoyed the weekend — and I especially hope you enjoyed celebrating Earth Day on Saturday. While I’m currently putting the finishing touches on a brand new eBook for next week’s post (and I can’t wait for you to see it!), today I’m excited to share one of my latest projects I had the honor of working on for G Adventures.
When my editor reached out a few weeks ago and asked if I’d be interested in creating an illustration for Earth Day, the first idea that came to mind was a montage of landscapes, specifically those endangered by shifts in weather patterns, climate change, and human impact. But I also wanted to highlight an endangered animal from each region, as a way of putting a ‘face’ to the four landscapes we’d chosen to highlight — from the African lion, of whom less than 21,000 remain throughout all of Africa, to the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.
The majority of my days in Montevideo are spent at my dark wooden desk, where I sit quietly with my headphones in, listening to an audiobook or playlist as I work on that day’s illustration project; sometimes, it feels like I get so lost in the flow of painting that I forget to even lift my head and look out the window beside me. But working on the below illustration for Earth Day had a different effect. As I researched photos for the African savannah, Amazon rainforest, and the Great Barrier Reef, I loved feeling like I was mentally circling the globe — and so, too, could I feel my perspective being realigned with a powerful reminder:
That no matter where we are, we’re always connected to a bigger world — and to bigger causes.
I am your mother, but this might be my absolute favorite pieces you’ve done. You outdid yourself here. STUNNING!!!!!
Why thank you, Mom! 🙂 This was truly such a fun piece to bring to life, so I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! <3
I’m with your mother on this although I have too many favourites as I’m sure she does as well. I think you could sell prints of this and donate a portion of sales to some solid environmental organization. Just a thought.
I love that idea, Gayle! I’m actually hoping to launch an online shop this summer and make prints of my sketches available, so I will definitely be sure to work on making this illustration available as well 🙂 Thank you for the suggestion and kind words!
I always enjoy reading your personal thoughts and insights just as much as your illustrations, this work combines both of your skills to create something thought provoking and awe-inspiring. Look forward to seeing your shop!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such an encouraging comment, Belinda — please know how much it meant to me to read. I also loved hearing that you’re looking forward to the shop! It’s been high on my list of things to start for so long, and I’m excited to finally make that happen this summer 🙂 I hope you’re doing very well and enjoying that beautiful yurt of yours. <3
What a wonderful concept you created to show us and tell us such important info so succinctly……and so beautifully done. You are brilliant.
I can’t thank you enough, Nancy! This piece was a true joy to bring to life, and I’m so thrilled it resonated with you. Sending hugs from Uruguay! <3
Fabulous work, Candace!
Thank you, Nan! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Great job Candace. I just love the illustrations! I love the quote, too. It is so true. I’m looking forward to seeing your new book!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Treava! And I’m so happy to hear you loved the quote as well — as soon as I came across it, I knew it was the one for this post 🙂
ZOMG.
That is all.
Thank you, my friend — you are awesome as always 🙂 I so appreciate you sharing this!
LOVED this and wonder where the poster was presented or displayed.
Thank you so much, Ginny! And thank you for asking as well — the infographic was published on G Adventures’ Looptail blog, in the following article:
https://www.gadventures.com/blog/4-worlds-most-beautiful-ecosystems-and-why-they-need-protecting/
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Candace this beautiful new work of yours with such important information is truly magical. I think when people see this presentation of sketching & script together for the earth, it will trigger something in them to take note and not be so blasé about the destruction going on.
I was actually wondering how you worked because it seems so much overload to me, so I found your comment about sitting at your desk all day listening to your music and audio books very helpful. I now find I am sitting at my table drawing in all the spare time I have to rewrite my career and quite often think to myself, “Candace must do this all the time!!!’
Will definitely get audio books out of the library because I can do 2 things at once then!
Thanks again Candace.
I was actually going to ask a question not directly related to your most recent beautiful work of art – what app/website do you use for audio books and what are some reads you can recommend? I have never tried audio books, but LOVE podcasts and think I might like to give audio books a try! Thanks Candace and Victoria! 🙂
I love this question, Brittany! And I would love to recommend a few audiobooks: “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?”, “Eleanor and Park” — and lastly, a book that left me in tears when it ended this morning — “A Man Called Ove.” I can’t recommend the last one enough! On the flipside, I’m always looking for new podcasts to listen to, so if you have any favorites, please know I’d welcome your suggestions 🙂 <3
Thanks for the suggestions! How do you get your e-books? I looked at Audible (thought the monthly fee gave unlimited books, but it’s only one a month)…
Podcasts: right now I’m pretty into Code Switch, Embedded, S-town, and Serial. You’ve probably heard of ALL of them! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words about this illustration, Victoria! As always, they truly mean the world to me. And I loved your question and thoughts about my work process…which absolutely involves long stretches of just sitting quietly at my desk 🙂 When I’m drawing, I find I can only listen to music (or sometimes nothing at all), as it requires more concentration—but I especially love getting to the painting portion of each sketch or piece, as I can just sit there painting away while my mind is caught up in a story or podcast. In fact, I love working at my desk so much, that Jose’s first question to me when he gets home from work is often, “And did you leave the house today?” 🙂 It’s so fun to hear you’re spending all of your spare time in a similar manner, and I know from experience that it will only mean good things for your beautiful sketches and art! <3
Beautiful, and a lovely way to cover such important information. I’m always amazed at how things are connected to other things and places. The Gaia theory just might be gaining support…keep up the good work. 🙂
Thank you so much, Roberta! And thank you as well for mentioning the Gaia theory, as I hadn’t heard of it before—I’m so glad you enjoyed this piece 🙂