British artist John Dyer has completed a remarkable and heart-breaking project - painting the last two surviving Northern White Rhinos. John, who is from Cornwall and acts as an artist in residence at the Eden Project, travelled to Kenya at the end of February until the beginning of March 2023 to paint the majestic creatures. The trip came almost exactly five years after Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino, died in March 2018. As a result of his death only two of the rhinos, Najin and Fatu, remain - making the species functionally extinct . The pair are living out their days at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Speaking about how moving it was to paint the last two rhinos, John says: “This was the most profound experience of my life. To have the privilege to meet and paint the last of a species is humbling, devastating and uplifting all at the same time” John founded his Last Chance to Paint project after Sudan’s death in 2018. The not for profit raises awareness of environmental issues by engaging school kids in the arts so they create personal connections to the natural world, tribal groups and new cultures. The rhinos themselves were a difficult subject to capture with paint - as John had to take care not to disturb them. “Painting the rhinos was a challenging experience as they are large animals and it is a delicate process of not alarming them or getting too close and staying with them,” he explains. Schools are invited from all over the world to get involved in Last Chance To Paint, which is supported with the expert knowledge of the Eden Project. Schools in 32 countries are already engaged and unique and rich resources are made available online - its website is LastChanceToPaint.com.
