Pollyanna’s artwork in Bhutanese Documentary

Among the many global honorary posts held by Pollyanna, she was proud to be official Conservation Partner to the Wildlife Conservation Division of the Department of Forests and Park Services of Bhutan.

Initially she helped to launch and support their Tiger and Carnivore Conservation Awareness Project. Her artwork – including her painting of a tiger in front of the iconic ‘Tiger’s Nest’ temple – was used on a series of posters and stickers which were distributed widely through the kingdom to help raise awareness of the need to protect and save the endangered species which live there.

The collaboration continued throughout her life – and now her paintings are featured in a brand new documentary Tiger Spirit. This powerful conservation film celebrates the deep connection between tigers, nature, and humanity through the lens of Buddhist philosophy, culture, and heritage. Inspired by both Buddhist wisdom and Bhutan’s cultural heritage, the project highlights the spiritual, ecological, and cultural significance of protecting one of the world’s most iconic species. The documentary explores how ancient wisdom can inspire modern conservation and help secure a future where tigers and the forests they call home continue to thrive.

In the spring of 2007, Pollyanna spent five weeks trekking and camping in the remote Himalayan kingdom, one of the world’s last true wilderness environments. Bhutan jealously guards its lifestyle and ancient traditions, and the series of paintings which Pollyanna completed on her return became the first to comprehensively document the wildlife and habitat. Pollyanna was granted a fellowship from Canada based society Artists for Conservation in support of her Bhutanese expedition.

A selection of the paintings inspired by the journey subsequently went on to be exhibited at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in New York. Pollyanna attended the gala opening weekend to speak about the journey. The expedition and her subsequent conservation partnership attracted much media attention internationally – with articles appearing in a variety of publications from Nepal’s most popular national newspaper Kantipur to Toronto University’s in house magazine The Medium.

Last year Pollyanna’s paintings featured in another conservation documentary – Rise of the Jaguar – highlighting big cat conservation in Brazil.