Of all of the places I've traveled, my favorite is Africa. The beauty of the countryside and the wild animals are inspiring. I guess that is why I keep choosing Africa for so many of my paintings.
Three fond memories from our trip to Kenya and Tanzania are - baobab trees, graceful giraffes, and glorious sunsets.
The baobab tree, also known as the upside-down tree, is leafless for most of the year and looks like it has its roots in the air. It is a unique aspect of the African landscape. We saw large numbers of them in Tanzania including the one below.
A baobab tree is a beautiful backdrop to these two giraffes on the savanna.
Being near the equator, the sunsets in central Africa are also amazing. The sun looks huge and sets in what seems to be a matter of seconds. The silhouette of trees and animals against the sunset is often breathtaking!
I combine these memories in my first African painting 'African Sunset'. The silhouettes of a baobab tree and two giraffes are set against the setting sun. This large 3 ft by 4 ft canvas is completely covered by contextural patterns, all painted freehand.
I first painted the patterns onto the yellow sun and the orange-red sky. The sky is yellow-orange next to the sun and becomes darker shades of orange and red farther away. Dots painted onto the patterns in the sky help gradate the colors from yellow to orange to red.
I then painted the trunk and branches of the baobab tree and the grasses beneath it. Patterns completely cover them. I added dark washes over these patterns to enhance the silhouette effect. The patterns are difficult to see under the washes, but if you look closely you can see them.
Finally, I painted the two giraffes. The giraffes are also completely covered with patterns and then with dark washes.
The finished 'African Sunset' is below.
My second African painting 'Rhino' was inspired by our short stay in Zambia. We went to Zambia primarily to see Victoria Falls. The falls were massive and drenching, but because of the mist, they were hidden much of the time.
Zambia is not known as a great photo safari destination because it doesn't have any of the big cats. However it surprised us. There was still a lot to see along the Zambezi River above the Falls, such as elephants up close and personal.
And hippos, said to be the most dangerous animals in Africa (look at those teeth)!
And, of course, more beautiful sunsets (over more hippos).
Plus, we stayed in a wonderful 'treetop house' hotel.
However, what surprised us most about Zambia was how close we could get to the rhinos. Unfortunately, the poaching of rhinos in Zambia is so bad that the few remaining ones are guarded 24 hours a day by armed rangers. Because of this constant attention, the rhinos are getting used to having people nearby. They initially ran away from our jeep, but then slowly came back to inspect us. How close did they come? How about 6 feet from Lorrie, and she was still smiling!
The rhino below was the inspiration for my painting. At this point it was posing about 15 feet away.
The entire 3 ft by 4 ft 'Rhino' canvas is painted freehand with textured patterns and dots, giving it the look of an African textile. Given the rhinos' struggle for survival, I incorporated traditional African symbols for strength - the ram's head
and for endurance - the fern.
The patterns and dots covering the entire background are the grasses of the savanna.
The rhino itself is composed of patterns and dots layered upon patterns and dots, representing atoms combining to form bones and tissues, all combining to form the finished creature. An example of these layered patterns and dots is seen in the close-up below. The ribs and backbone each began with a single large pattern. Large dots were overlaid on to them, and then each of these large dots were filled with smaller patterns and dots.
Another close-up example of these layered patterns and dots is shown below for the rhino's head and two horns.
After more than 18 months of work, I finished what became the award winning 'Rhino' which is shown below.
In my next post, I will discuss my two most recent paintings 'Chobe Checker' and 'Birds of a Feather' which were both inspired by our trip to Botswana.