Dodos

The plight of the rhinoceros led me to consider the dodo. I have visited the two dodo models in the Natural History Museum whenever taking my children there, and have always been intrigued to watch as visitors react to seeing them. The dodo is probably the strongest image of extinction, and through drawing and developing the prints it has become, for me, a symbol of loss.

Inspiration and title of my first dodo print references information written near the dodo models in the Natural History Museum.

“The Natural History Museum is based on the private collection of Sir Hans Sloane (1660 – 1753) which on his death was bought for the nation.

Over the last century particularly, many species have become extinct. So the collections which set out to be an index to all the species of the world are now a testament to those lost forever.”

The dodo at the Horniman Museum inspired the “Rowland's Dodo” and “true colours” prints. This dodo was made by the famous London taxidermy company Rowland Ward and bought for the museum in 1938. Hence the reference to Rowland in the title. I was drawn to the beautiful colours of the beak and feet of this dodo. The exact colour of dodo is not known, so it varies greatly depending on who has created it. Hence the reference to “True Colours” and not always knowing an animals/birds true colours or knowing peoples “true colours”.