The Subtleties of An Action: Picking Up Pebbles In A Parking Lot

Jorge Cainas
The Subtleties of An Action: Picking Up Pebbles In A Parking Lot
2015-2017
Mixed Media
Acrylic, Concrete, Leopard Skin Jasper, Obsidian, Slate collected by the artist in Conklin’s Gully, NY, Pebbles collected by the artist in truck stop parking lot, LA, Tiger’s Eye, unidentified rock found by the artist in Arizona
 
Typical asking price direct from the artist: $220
 
Artist Statement: I collected the pebbles in the parking lot of a truck stop in Louisiana that had numerous billboards advertising a Live Tiger. My imagination could not prepare me for how sad the scene was to me. The fumes from the trucks and cars caused my throat and nose to burn and the habitat for the tiger was very minimal. There were also preserved tigers in the building and restaurant from past display animals.
 
There was, at one point, a group of people protesting the tigers being kept in this truck stop and the truck stop won. I had planned to gather materials during this road trip so I grabbed one of my plastic bags and took a few handfuls.
 
This art piece was created to raise awareness of this place and to raise awareness for the well being of all big cat species. I have included two minerals that are removable. One is Blue Tiger’s Eye and the other is Leopard Skin Jasper. It was my intention to pay homage to the idea of being able to lift, or rescue, these beautiful animals from harmful environments.
 
While it may not be the popular opinion among animal conservationists I think it may be best to donate large sums of money to this tiger owning truck stop. It is obvious that the protests were unsuccessful in removing the animals so why not donate in order to provide a better environment for the tigers to live in?