"Where Do I Go?" Gopher Tortoise Limited Edition Fine Art Print

This archival giclee fine art print is of an original watercolor painting called "Where Do I Go?" featuring a Federally Threatened gopher tortoise witnessing encroachment from commercial and residential overdevelopment. Gopher tortoises are known as keystone species because the burrows they dig provide shelter for over 360 different species! Samantha created this painting to showcase that gopher tortoises, who require around 4 acres of land to survive, are being pushed out of their homes due to habitat destruction.

There are only twelve 9"x12"prints available, and one 18"x24" available in this first edition! Once, they are adopted, they will not be returning.

All prints are made with high-quality watercolor paper, and are printed with archival, museum-quality ink. Each print is hand numbered, named and signed by the artist. 

Samantha ensures pristine delivery via a well-insulated, sustainably-sourced mailer. These prints also come with a hand signed and dated Certificate of Authenticity with gold detailing.

It took a full 2 weeks for Samantha to complete this incredibly detailed painting. She focused heavily on the perspective of the painting to make sure the vanishing point on the horizon, the gopher tortoise in the foreground, and everything in between look like they are in the right position, giving depth to the scene. Samantha also had quite a challenging time figuring out how to properly paint sand, which is commonly found in the gopher tortoise's habitat. Samantha primarily used Winsor and Newton professional series watercolor tube paints on cold press, acid free, 300 gsm  Blick watercolor paper.  As you'll see in the listing photos, Samantha used one of her own reference photos to paint this gopher tortoise.

Any watermarks on the photographs used in this listing are purely to ensure that someone (or AI) does not steal the artwork illegally. The watermarks do not exist on the actual painting. Also, the resolution of the photos used in this listing is much lower than the actual painting! In other words, the painting's details are crisp and vivid compared to some of the photographs here (Shopify doesn't allow image files above a certain size).

This painting is one of many that were created for a children's book titled "I Can Save the Planet" for the non-profit organization, Raptor Center of Tampa Bay. The book is set to release in 2025! Stay tuned! Also, 10% of each print sale will go directly to the Raptor Center to aid in the thousands of birds and animals they help rescue and rehabilitate each year.

All art is the property of artist Samantha Dormio and may not be reproduced or resold in any form.