Slender-Billed Curlew

Slender-Billed Curlew

LibArt 2025

We often take for granted the land, vegetation, and living creatures around us. I have always been fascinated by the subtle transitions of color, the intricate patterns on feathers, and the organic shapes from our bird friends. Although sadly, we are losing some of them forever. In November 2024, the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia and wintered around the Mediterranean, was declared globally extinct. After finding no evidence of the slender-billed curlew in three decades, scientists have declared it extinct. The last confirmed sighting occurred in Morocco in 1995. I printed a Slender-billed Curlew made up of other bird friends we have lost in recent years, including the Kauaʻi Nukupuʻu, Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō, Bachman's Warbler, and Bridled White-eye, in the hope of remembering them. All the color layers were printed with watercolor—those vibrant colors, other than the key, will gradually fade over time. Just as preserving the art, our bird friends might lose their beautiful colors if not given enough care.

Lujiang Li
Graduate Studies in Visual Art

2025

Belong to Creator

Acrylic and watercolor on paper
13.5"X 17"