A significant percentage of the publisher's proceeds will be donated to environmental organizations. The Color of Being Born contains watercolor paintings and mixed media art by Montana artist Michael Cadieux. Of particular relevance are the artist's controversial Nova Totem paintings that depict an injured planet and emphasize the urgent need for environmental preservation and restoration. The book also contains prose and poetry by prominent writers, artists, scientists, and activists, such as NASA scientist and Battlestar Galactica advisor, Dr. Kevin Grazier; Hugo award-winning artist and writer Ursula Vernon; acclaimed sculptor and architect Martin Huberman; and noted journalist and Vanity Fair editor Alex Shoumatoff; and 11 others generous contributors.
A portion of our proceeds from the sale of The Color of Being Born will go toward the National Resources Defense Fund. The book also includes a Giving Index that lists charities chosen by the contributors. The Giving Index enables us to raise funds and awareness for many other worthy environmental charities, alongside the National Resources Defense Fund.
About the Author: Michael Cadieux was born and raised in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana. Until the 1940's, the land was a benign paradise that was home to a diverse range of plants and animals, including man. By the end of WWII, mining and timber interests, with the blessing of federal and state lawmakers, began systematic cutting and digging. Roads, strip mines, and stripped mountainsides replaced the formerly pristine wilderness. The dramatic and catastrophic change in the landscape greatly affected the young Cadieux, instilling in him a passionate love for environmental conservation. Today, the majority of Cadieux's paintings express his anger and heartbreak at the senseless despoliation of the land. Cadieux eventually became a professor of art, teaching art history and painting at such places as the University of Montana, the University of Arizona, the Arizona Western College, the Kansas City Art Institute, and the Douglas campus of Cochise College. Throughout his career, Cadieux has had more than 75 one-person, solo, competitive, and invitational shows across the country. His work has received numerous awards and grants, including two Andrew Mellon Faculty enrichment grants, two Outstanding Educator of America awards, and a U.S. Office of Education grant to lecture, study, and tour India. Cadieux's written articles and reviews have appeared in a variety of publications, including Ceramics Monthly, Artspace (Los Angeles), New Art Examiner (Chicago), and Southeast Asia in Review. Michael Cadieux currently lives and works in Bisbee, Arizona, where he continues to create art every day.
