Catholics around the world have found many ways to answer Pope Francis’ call in Laudato Si’. Some plant trees, others take recycling seriously, while many embrace simpler lifestyles in solidarity with the earth.
For Malaysian artist Christine Das, the response took an unexpected path; her brush became her voice, and her canvas a witness.
Her journey into wildlife conservation art did not begin in the rainforest or among elephants, but in classrooms and studios. After high school, her parents enrolled her in a graphic design college, setting her on a path through diverse artistic disciplines.
“Over the years, I worked as a storybook illustrator, a fine art painter, a 2D animator, and even as part of the team creating props and scenic backdrops for the Hollywood film Anna and the King. Later, I took roles as a multimedia designer and an in-house hotel artist.”
She tells Radio Veritas Asia in a recent interview that by the time 2006 arrived, she had spent 18 years building a career. Yet something inside her stirred. She felt called to something deeper. With what she describes as “blind faith,” she left the security of her full-time job and walked into the uncertain world of contemporary art.
“I told myself,” she recalled, “that if I was going to be an artist, then my art must be attached to a worthy cause. It had to serve God and the world.”
A question, a leaf, a revelation
At first, Christine imagined she would become a Catholic painter in the tradition of the great masters. A cradle Catholic herself, she thought of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, or Correggio, and how their works adorned churches with transcendent beauty. For three years, she pursued religious art. But the commissions were scarce, the fit was not perfect, and she felt the stirrings of a deeper search.
“I asked myself the big questions,” Christine said. “Why did God put me here? Why this gift of art? If the Church doesn’t need my paintings, then who does?” One day, she took her question to her parish priest. His answer was surprising. He asked her to touch a leaf. Christine did, and in that simple act, something shifted.
“Apparently, when I touched the leaf, I felt the tangible presence of God the Father,” she said. “My confusion turned into contemplation.”
The experience bore fruit. Soon after, Christine was commissioned to create a piece inspired by the “Tree of Life,” marking the beginning of her journey as what she now calls an “eco-artist.
“Unwittingly, I was drawn to the natural world in a way that echoed the message of Laudato Si’, to see creation not just as a backdrop, but as a living, sacred gift worthy of care, respect, and protection.
Meeting Lil’ Joe
Later that same year, Christine travelled to Sabah, where the Borneo Conservation Trust arranged a meeting with Lil’ Joe. The calf had been rescued and placed at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.
“When he walked up to me,” Christine recalled, “I knew instantly why God had led me here. My art was meant to speak for creatures like him, their plight, their purpose on earth.”
That trip also brought her into the rainforest of Kinabatangan. For Christine, it was a spiritual awakening. “It felt like I had walked into the heart of God,” she said. “I finally understood what my priest meant when he told me to touch a leaf. My Creator Father is the natural world. They are not separate. His intelligence and love are manifested in nature.”
A Vocation Shaped by Creation
From that moment on, Christine’s work took on a new identity. She became not just a painter but a wildlife conservation artist. Her canvases began to fill with elephants, orangutans, hornbills, and the lush greens of Borneo’s forests. Each piece was more than an artwork, it was an act of advocacy, a call to protect creation.
“I feel as though I was thrown into the university of the natural world,” she said. “My learning is endless. Every creature, every tree, every river teaches me something about God’s intelligence and love.”
Her work has supported conservation efforts across Malaysia, raising funds, awareness, and empathy. Just as importantly, it has touched hearts. Viewers who encounter her paintings do not only see endangered animals; they feel the sacredness of creation itself.
Laudato Si’ and the Art of Witness
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s groundbreaking encyclical on the care of our common home. The pope wrote of the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” insisting that environmental degradation and human suffering are inseparable.
Catholics worldwide have responded in diverse ways to the call of Laudato Si’. Christine’s art is another kind of response, one that resonates with the encyclical’s call to see creation not as a resource to exploit but as a gift to cherish.
“Today, my art is my response to Laudato Si’,” she said. “Each painting is a prayer, a way of giving back the love God has shown me and the talent He entrusted to me. Through my images, I speak for the earth, for its creatures, and for the beauty of our common home, bringing the message of Laudato Si’ to life on canvas.”
As Laudato Si’ enters its second decade, Christine’s art reminds us that to care for creation is to honour God, turning every brushstroke into a prayer and every act of stewardship into hope for our common home. For her, the path is clear: to let her brush speak, again and again, for the fragile and wondrous gift of creation.
(Joseph Masilamany is a veteran Malaysian journalist and freelance writer with extensive experience in Catholic media. He contributes regularly to leading Catholic news agencies and platforms.)
