THE KILLING OF CECIL THE
LION BY A MINNESOTA DENTIST IN
ZIMBABWE LAST YEAR LED TO AN
INTERNATIONAL CHANGE IN AIRLINE
REGULATIONS AND POLICIES.
PEOPLE PROTESTED AT THE ALTAR
-- DOCTOR WALTER PALMER'S
DENTAL OFFICE.
CECIL WAS BEING MONITORED BY
RESEARCHERS.
AMONG THEM WAS AN ARTIST TO SET
UP IN THE PARKING LOT AND
PAINTED CECIL.
HE IS WORLD RENOWNED.
THREE U.S. PRESIDENTS HAVE SET
FOR HIM AS WELL AS BRITISH
PRIME MINISTER'S.
NOW HE WANTS TO SELL THE
PORTRAIT OF CECIL TO PROMOTE
ANTI-POACHING EFFORTS.
JOINING HIM HERE IN THE STUDIO
TODAY IS THE ARTIST AND HIS
LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE.
WE ALSO HAVE YOUR AMAZING
PORTRAIT.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
WHAT LED YOU TO GO TO THE
DEMONSTRATION AND PAID HIM?
I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE
KILLING AND I WAS EMOTIONALLY
CAUGHT UP IN IT.
ONE THING FOR ME TO DO WITH IT
WAS TO PAINT SOMETHING.
I THOUGHT ABOUT GOING DOWN AND
STARTING THIS PICTURE.
I GOT THERE EARLIER -- EARLY IN
THE MORNING ON THE DAY OF THE
PROTEST.
Reporter: AND YOU FINISH THE
PICTURE THAT DAY?
YES I DID. Reporter: I
UNDERSTAND THE PROTESTERS WERE
ACTUALLY HELPING YOU HOLD THE CAMPUS?
YES THEY DID.
IT WAS A WINDY DAY AND I WAS IN
A PAINTING ZONE.
I WOULD STOP PAINTING AND LOOK
AROUND AND THERE WOULD BE
PEOPLE WATCHING BEHIND ME.
IT WAS A LONG DAY, BUT ALSO I
MET MANY OF THE PROTESTERS AND
IT WAS MY SILENT PROTEST.
Reporter: I KNOW YOU HAVE
BEEN HELPING MARK AND
SOLICITING OFFERS AND THAT YOU
HAVE TURNED DOWN $100,000. IS
IT BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU CAN
GET MORE?
I THINK THERE IS MORE THAT
WE CAN GET FOR ANIMAL
CONFERENCE -- FOR CONSERVATION
-- FOR ANIMAL CONSERVATION.
NOBODY IS MAKING MONEY OFF OF
THIS.
MARK AND I ARE NOT MAKING A
DIME OFF OF THIS.
WITH THE SENSELESS KILLING OF
THIS ANIMAL, SOMETHING POSITIVE
CAN COME.
MARK IS ABLE TO EXPRESS WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE ANIMAL AND THEN
USE THE PROCEEDS 100% OR THE
CONSERVATION OF LARGE CATS AND
ANIMAL WILDLIFE.
HOPEFULLY AN ORGANIZATION LIKE
THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND WILL
GET THIS.
Reporter: YOU HAVE HAGOOD
OFFERS, WHICH ARE HOLDING OUT
FOR MORE?
HOPEFULLY SOMEBODY WITH A
LARGE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES WILL
PUT IT TO GOOD USE AND GET A
WONDERFUL PORTRAIT, ONE OF THE
MOST WONDERFUL I HAVE SEEN.
Reporter: IT IS CERTAINLY
REMARKABLE.
YOU MENTIONED THERE IS RED
UNDER ONE OF SAYS THE'S I --
EYES.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
I DIDN'T NOTICE UNTIL I
FINISHED.
I WAS IN THE ZONE OF PAINTING
AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS
THAT JUST HAPPENED IN THE
CREATIVE PROCESS.
SOMETIMES I'M NOT EVEN AWARE
WHEN I AM WORKING ON IT, WHAT
IS GOING ON.
I NOTICED IT LATER AND IT
BRINGS A CERTAIN SADNESS TO ME.
Reporter: ALSO THE SIZE.
IT IS MOVING TO SEE THE SIZE,
WHY DID YOU GO SO BIG? WELL,
THE NIGHT BEFORE I WENT TO THE
ART STORE AND I SAID, GIVE ME
YOUR LARGEST CAMPUS.
THEY ROLLED IT OUT AND THEY
SAID, WILL THAT WORK?
THE NEXT MORNING I WAS THERE
PAINTING.
IT WAS REALLY JUST A VERY
INTENSIVE PROCESS.
I DID NOT SLEEP WELL THE NIGHT
BEFORE BECAUSE I WAS THINKING
ABOUT PAINTING AND COMPLAINING
IT -- COMPLETING IT.
Reporter: MAR, YOU WERE
FIELDING THE CALLS.
I WANT TO GIVE THEM YOUR
INFORMATION.
THERE IS ANOTHER PORTRAIT OF
PRIMARY MARK -- PRIME MINISTER
MARGARET THATCHER AND PRESIDENT
BARGAIN -- RONALD REAGAN.
MARGARET THATCHER ACTUALLY SAT
FOR YOU AND REAGAN WAS VERY
ILL.
IS IT EASIER TO PAINT FROM
SOMEBODY SITTING OR FROM A
PORTRAIT?
IT IS EASIER TO MAKE A
DRAWING DIRECTLY FROM LIFE FOR
ME.
YOU HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO
EXTRACT THE SPIRITUALITY OF A
PERSON OR -- IN A PAINTING.
Reporter: IT ALMOST FEELS
LIKE CECIL THE LION IS MOVING
TOWARD YOU.
IT IS JUST ONE OF THOSE
THINGS.
I HAD SO MUCH TO EXPRESS ABOUT
THAT.
I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT THERE
WAS A LINE CROSSED IN THE WORLD
TODAY AND HE IS A SYMBOL FOR
ANIMAL CONSERVATION.
THERE IS A MEETING IN JULY
CALLED CECIL 2016.
IT IS STARTING TO MAKE A CHANGE.
I HOPE THE SALE OF THE PORTRAIT
WILL HELP WITH THAT
CONSERVATION.
Reporter: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT IS REMARKABLE TO SEE THIS
AMAZING WORK IN PERSON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
FOLKS, WE ARE TRYING TO SELL