Countywide : Art Makes Case for Saving Rain Forest

A painting of the Amazon rain forest unveiled Friday at the Santa Ana Zoo is more than just a pretty picture. For the students from throughout Orange County who painted it, the artwork also holds a message.

“We wanted to stress that the rain forest is being destroyed and becoming extinct each day,” said Sabrina Sondhi, 16, one of the artists.

The 8-by-10-foot canvas depicting wildlife in the South American rain forest was created and completed by 18 Orange County School of the Arts students as part of a class project.

The brightly colored animals and trees dominate the painting, but the depiction of trees engulfed in fire in the bottom right corner delivers the message the students want to convey.

“That part puts more meaning into it,” said another student, Wes Hatten, 17.

The artists said the portrayal of trees aflame was added to encourage people to do something to try to protect and conserve rain forests.

“Without that corner, people would walk by and see it and think it’s just a pretty picture,” Sondhi said.

“The rain forest isn’t something to be played with,” added Francesca Zoida, 18, gazing at the artwork.

Zoida and her classmates spent six months on the project they call “Rain Fire.” Through research, they found that 115,000 acres of rain forest are destroyed daily and that 17,500 animal species become extinct each year. So the students decided to portray those facts in their painting, their art teacher Gregory Pickens said.

“We all got a rain forest education while doing this piece,” Pickens said. “It’s been a valuable lesson.”

His students agreed.

“We have to protect the rain forest,” Hatten said. “You can’t just wait for the next generation to take care of it. It’s a job that we have to do now.”

Santa Ana Zoo Director Ron Glazier said the painting’s symbolism shows the value of the rain forest and why it should be preserved. “It encourages people to be protective,” he said. “It’s vibrant colors show that the rain forest has beauty and life and how man is destroying that.”

Leslie Perovich, the zoo’s executive director, said: “It’s a beautiful mural. It tries to depict what is happening in the rain forest today, and it’s a great message.”

The project, which cost $300, was funded by Friends of Santa Ana Zoo.

The painting is on display near the zoo’s exhibit called “Amazon’s Edge,” where only South American animals, including black howler monkeys and capybaras, the world’s largest rodents, live.