Vida Livre (Live Free)

By Cheryl on July 7, 2013 in For Kids, News from the front

I feel humans have a stewardship to protect this beautiful planet that gives us so very much – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

-Kitty Harvill

I first crossed virtual paths with Kitty Harvill when I discovered a wonderful new book which has been created to help educate children in Brazil about the endangered Brazilian Red-tailed Amazon (Amazona brasiliensis): Vida Livre (Live Free). I am always looking out to see how countries which actually have wild parrots go about trying to end the parrot trade in their own backyard; often, this means teaching their children so they grow up to be conservationally-aware adults.

Kitty is the illustrator behind this beautiful work of art, and I was thrilled to receive a copy of this wonderful book. I discovered she spends her time in both the US and Brazil, and has been granted the prestigious “Artist For Conservation” award. As stated in her official bio, “much of her work is focused on endangered species and the beauty of the Atlantic Forest. Her use of color, both dramatic and delicate, her instinctual response to the play of light on her subject continue to be defining characteristics of the artist as she strives to present the viewer with the wonder, magic, and ultimately the importance of a severely threatened area of our planet.”

Enchanted by the illustrations – which made the book’s plot clear despite my not being able to understand Portuguese – I asked Kitty if she would tell me more about the book, how it came to be, and what is being done to help the endangered Red-tailed Amazon and the groups working to protect it. She graciously agreed, and what follows is her fascinating story.

Kitty Harvill at her desk with her feathered muses

Interview with Kitty Harvill

What does it mean to be an “Artist for Conservation”? You have been recognized as such since 2009.

Signature membership in Artists for Conservation is limited to 500 members and is by invitation only. It is a jury process that considers one’s artistic ability and also one’s participation in conservation efforts. Our membership spans 27 countries and I am the only member painting proudly under the Brazilian flag (I have dual residency in the states and Brazil). I was honored with the award of Conservation Artist of the Month in April of this year.

As a Conservation Artist, I feel it relates to all areas of my life – being mindful of every choice we make and how it affects our planet and those we share it with. For example, I’m committed to eating organic and locally grown food whenever possible, to using skin and hair products that are eco-friendly and most importantly, not tested on animals, everything from toothpaste (flouride-free) to hair color that is cruelty-free and safer for both the environment and my scalp!

Endangered species of Brazil, © Kitty Harvill

Have you always been interested in combining your art with helping animals and in particular endangered animals; what was your “light bulb” moment?

Until my first few trips to Brazil, I was the president of a small design firm in Little Rock, AR. I illustrated children’s picture books, magazine articles, and gift items…painted portraits and still-life paintings. Always at the ready to donate to the local humane society or various other charitable organizations, but not primarily wildlife, no.

In 2004, I lost my mother to Alzheimer’s. She was an artist, a watercolorist, we began our art careers at the same time – when I left for college, she went back to college to study art, she was 46 at the time. I was 46 when she died and thought that perhaps I should start a new career, just as she had at that age. I began making more trips to Brazil but to photograph the wild nature, not to paint…in fact, I didn’t paint for 2 years after her death. But, what was happening to me, I see now in retrospect that being in Nature was healing me from the grief of her loss – I’m an only child and she was my best friend.

In 2006, I had the urge to make a pastel painting from a Giant River Otter photo I had taken – and there it was – my new passion: my hand literally flew around the paper, I was in love with making art again, but with new energy and a new purpose. I knew then I wanted to share the amazing creatures I had been photographing through my interpretation of them in watercolor, pastel, oil, etc.

“Ariranha” © Kitty Harvill

What led you to do the Vida Livre project, and what is its goal?

If you work to raise awareness and save a species, you will, in turn save an ecosystem as well.

I had the opportunity to visit Ilha Pinheiro where the Red-tailed parrots have a large dormitory and every morning and every evening there is a spectacular show as the birds fly out to the mainland to feed during the day, and return to sleep on the island at night. This was in December of 2007.

It wasn’t until December of 2008 that we were invited to accompany the biologist Elenise Sipinski of SPVS (Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental) on her trip to Ilha Rasa (another island in the Guaraqueçaba Bay area) where there is a project running of artificial nests. So, there I went with my camera, photographing every step of that adventure – and at the end of the few days, I turned to my husband and said – this is a book. He encouraged me to make a few sketches and we would present the idea to SPVS. They liked the idea, but…we needed an author. It was several months before we found author Adélia Woellner, a well-known children’s author here in Curitiba.

Fresh off the presses!

It is unusual for a book to start with the illustrations and not the other way around. But, I provided her with thumbnail sketches of what I envisioned for the story of the project and she did a wonderful job of combining a fantasy story of the birds which we were able to weave together with her words and my pictures.

Next we submitted it through “Lei Rouanet”, a process for projects to be approved by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture…and waited several months for the approval. Once approved, it was time to find a sponsor – a project that is approved by Lei Rouanet allows the company that chooses to sponsor it, a tax deduction, which is not allowed on other donations in Brazil. So, more waiting…meanwhile I began the illustration process, so that by the time we had our sponsor, the illustrations were complete and ready to go to the text designer and then printer.

All in all, it was a long process – what began as a trip with Tise (Elenise) in December 2008 ended with the official launch of the book in June 2012.

The reason and goal for all this effort is education. Of the 3,000 books printed, 1,500 have been distributed free of charge to schools, libraries, and children all along the coast of Brazil where this parrot lives. If you work to raise awareness and save a species, you will, in turn save an ecosystem as well.

Vida Livre book launch

Please give a brief overview of the plot of the story (as the actual book is in Portuguese):

Note: “Vida Livre” means “Live Free” in Portuguese.

The story begins with a fantasy view of the bird as Dona Caroxa (Dona is the Portuguese term for the lady of the house, and Caroxa comes from the name of the parrot in Portuguese – Papagaio-de-cara-roxa – or literally the purple-faced parrot). She shows how the parrots gather in the morning to fly out for food, the types of food they eat, their predators, etc.