COLUMBIA ARTIST PAUL JACKSON: Fights BP oil spill

COLUMBIA, 7/24/10  (Beat Byte) -- Art and animal lovers can team up to raise funds for BP oil disaster relief thanks to Columbia watercolor artist Paul Jackson, best known for a controversial U.S. quarter design featuring the St. Louis Arch, and MU's "Tiger Spot" mosaic.

 

With a 1,700 member (and growing) Facebook page and an online art store, Jackson -- the son of a bird scientist -- started the effort selling T-shirts featuring "Fowl Language," a portrait he painted of several seabirds sitting on a dirty BP sign, oil rig smoking in the background.

 

Childhood Christmases on the Mississippi coast inspired Jackson, who says 100 artists from around the globe have offered works, so raising $5,500 for nonprofit animal and coastal rescue groups.   Offerings run from beautiful seabird portraits to a tongue-in-cheek rendition of BP CEO Tony Hayward with devil's horns, a Pinocchio nose, and oil dripping like blood (above).

 

Art vs. Oil Spill -- Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124568567574068

   

Art vs. Oil Spill -- Online store

http://www.zazzle.com/artvsoilspill?rf=238983084852594244%22%3EArtvsoilspill