“The Last South China Tiger”

Body Paint Tiger Art Donated to Save China’s Tigers

Famed body paint artist and photographer Craig Tracy created a stunning image of a South China Tiger in aid of Save China’s Tigers Rewilding and Reintroduction project, and to mark the onset of the Chinese Year of the Tiger, coinciding with the Valentine’s day this year.

The awareness campaign has been organized by Save China’s Tigers, a charitable foundation dedicated to saving the Chinese tiger, as well the entire eco-system in which it presides as the King of Beasts.

“I initially wanted to call for volunteer models to come forward and have their body painted into tigers to produce a 2010 calendar along with real tiger images. But upon seeing Craig’s breathtaking work in a local newspaper, I thought this was just the right artist we needed, as Craig is two artists in one - painter and photographer”, describes Save China’s Tigers founder, Li Quan of the campaign which also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the charity. “I was pleasantly surprised to get a very positive and spontaneous reply from Craig, whose favourite animal is also the tiger”.

New Orleans based Craig Tracy said of his creation: “When I learned from Li Quan of the plight of the South China Tiger, I wanted to be part of the effort to rescue this most ancient tiger in the world and a cultural symbol of China from extinction.“

The South China Tiger is an iconic symbol in Chinese tradition and culture. This magnificent animal numbered less than 30 in the wild and around 80 in captivity, although some organizations have declared it extinct. The Chinese Year of the Tiger occurs every 12 years and it embodies courage, passion, self-reliance, friendliness, hope and resilience.

Tracy conceptualized the campaign, selected three volunteer models and donated this amazing image to Save China’s Tigers. Signed limited edition fine art prints of this image will be available in the art galleries that represent Tracy, who has pledged portion of all his proceeds to the South China Tiger Rewilding Project.

Tracy’s revolutionary painting technique titled “Painted Alive” incorporates the use of a live human bodies being painted and inserted into a background. A photo is taken creating his limited edition Fine Art. His style is ever evolving with each and every piece he creates.

Li Quan says, “I hope this stunning work will inspire people to help our cause.”

SCT is offering a Giclee photoprint on canvas for this amazing painting. Please visit SCT E-shop for purchase detail.