Jolly-Ville Plateau Salamander

Commissioned as one of two paintings by Jules Buck Jones for the Wildlife Conservation Division at Reicher Ranch. The other painting is entitled Golden-Cheeked Warbler. “The Jolly-Ville Plateau Salamander painting is much more simple. It seems the endangered amphibian does not get as much public attention as its feathered cousins. I felt obligated to do a painting of one of the endangered karst animals. Here I use abstraction of form and pattern to simultaneously make a painting of an animal that lives in the dark moist caves under our feet who is highly skilled at camouflaging itself, and making a painting of an animal being consumed or erased by its environment or surroundings. Both paintings aim to deliver a celebratory viewing of these unique animals, but accompanied with the mournful reality that many gems of the natural world are in danger of being wiped out.” – Jules Buck Jones