OIL ON CANVAS
My passion for elephants inspired my first sketches, but since those early days, oils have become my medium of choice. Oil paint can have a unique texture that allows you to push the boundaries of the norm – there are always new ideas and techniques to experiment with. My work tends to take shape across large canvases where I aim to reflect the breadth and magnificence of the African landscape.
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We Will Remember
Somewhere out in the magnificent wilderness of the Zambezi Valley, this old tusker and his companion move silently along tracks that have been used for centuries. These old paths or “gwashas” are timeless. It’s evening time and the sun is setting on another day. The egrets are flying to the trees where they will rest tonight, while the beautiful carmines flit and flutter around the small pan, drinking and catching insects.
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Spirits of the Valley
This painting has been modelled on three trees, somewhere deep in The Zambezi Valley. Hidden away in the jesse, for centuries they have become a meeting place for our great, grey giants. Set in the hazy afternoon sun, elephant dung scattered around, the trees create an atmosphere of their own.
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Padare
Padare, as seen from the east, directly opposite over the river on the Chewore north side. This piece was done for a true friend and brother of mine, centered around a great tree that exists in the Chewore river, where the memories of a lost friend and brother call to us. The reason for this name is clear (Padare refers to a traditional meeting place, usually under a tree ) as the picture is centred on the baobab, the place where we meet with “our brother”. The meeting is not a noisy affair; it is quiet and respectful. This is where we remember, and as we watch the movie that is our minds, we see life for what it is - beautiful and unpredictable.
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Mana Epic
A painting I have always wanted to do in large scale - the magnificent Mana flood plain overlooking the great Zambezi River, onto the Zambian escarpment. The painting tells the story of how wild this area is, and the variety of wild life that exist here, free in their natural surroundings. It is truly an Epic scene.
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The Arrival
This is a group of bachelors, the young and the eager. Often known as “Askari” or policemen, they are usually out ahead and accompany the older bulls. Learning from them and respecting them, the younger members of the family are cajoled, reprimanded and taught by their elder brothers.
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Siblings
An Acacia Erioloba in Hwange National Park, not far from Ngweshla. These trees are magnificent – bending to the most unique natural shapes. This particular one is joined at the base, but looks like two separate trees of similar shape, like brothers perhaps - joined at the hip.
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Road to Ngweshla
I sat quietly watching as the October sun lowered in the sky. As always, the colours started to change as the light penetrated the dust, promising yet another beautiful and timeless African evening. Standing here like some guardian, this great Leadwood has probably been here for centuries, as a witness to the scene that plays out daily on “the Road to Ngweshla“.
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Mucheni Pan
Those of us who have had the privilege of frequenting the Zambezi Valley will have seen scenes like this. This is in fact a small pan near Mucheni, Mana Pools – probably one of the most beautiful parts of the valley.
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The Waterhole
I did this sketch on canvas for a Zambezi Elephant Fund fundraiser I held in May of 2023. Read more about this event here. It depicts a common scene in the valley, a hive of activity around the pan as animals flock to the water. The pan is essential to life, particulalry in the dry seasons, where it is used for drinking and cooling down from the heat.
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Mhondoro
I have called this piece “Mhondoro”, as these trees symbolize strength and solidity. The term is one used by the Shona people who have a spirit called a “Mhondoro”, meaning both lion and guardian spirit of a tribe. They are generally referred to as “Lion Spirits” and are associated with the strength and fearlessness of a lion.
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The Mhara River Bulls
Here, these old elephant bulls are drinking out of the timeless springs that flow down the Chitake river. They have been frequenting this area all their lives, as have their ancestors, walking the amazingly wide paths that meander from water to water and shade to shade. The concentration of baobabs in this area is far greater than I have seen elsewhere in the Valley. The area seems spiritual, with these great giants silhouetted against the early morning sky.
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The Sunset of My Life
As the early morning sun reflects on the palms, sultry pinks spray across the sky from the light shining through the haze of the valley. Already the heat of this September day is apparent, creating its own atmosphere in the jesse bush that surrounds this small waterhole in the Sapi Safari area. Out here there is always the feeling that something is about to happen; it is harsh and almost violent in many ways, and yet so peaceful in others.
Mother & Child
Pastel on paper study.
Pastels, ink and pencil are great ways to quickly put together basic studies of animals, perfecting form and technique. I find working with these mediums a quick and easy way of understanding movement and body position. A great sketch book is a full one. I have many sketch books in various places that I pick up and work in, maybe 4 or 5 at a time.
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The Crossing
The Crossing, the name often used in reference to movement of the soul from life as we know it to the spiritual world. Elephants start their trek across the Zambezi river, maybe to the far off Zambian escarpment or just to the greener feeding areas on the islands that jut into the river.
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Trust
As the last light of day enhanced the clouds, there was a quiet expectancy as I watched these two elephants at a spring deep in the jesse of the Zambezi Valley. The ambiance of Africa, a sensation unchanged for centuries, fitted comfortably as I watched these majestic animals absorbing the obvious energy, quietly listening and understanding, caressing each other with their trunks, displaying trust and integrity with one another, and understanding, with a higher purpose in life.
Zambezi Ladies
I sketched most of this picture on location, the ever present groups of elephant cows and calves moving to and from the waters of the great Zambezi River. In the drier months, far away from the river, long journeys are made to small resilient pans. The sight of these great mothers and their overeager calves, rushing with great expectancy into the pans, is spell binding.
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Iganyana
I have had the privilege of sitting for many hours with these enchanting animals; their aesthetic alone is enough to entrance the eye of any artist. It is fitting that they are sometimes called the African Painted Dog as it is impossible to resist trying to capture them through art. Patience and respect may be rewarded as the group eventually begins to accept your presence, and you find yourself an honorary, albeit temporary, member of their pack.
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An Evening Sorjourn
Dusk demands to be acknowledged, as the final moments of the day retreat with the light. A spectacular display of pinks and purples spray across the vast African sky, focusing one’s mind instantly on the moment. It is a captivating sight, watching the dagga boys make their way to the water, navigating this harsh landscape. The dead trees remind us of our mortality, while the resilience and strength of the buffalo assure us that it is not time yet.
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Mana River Mouth
This oil painting is of one year in the Zambezi Valley at a place known as Mana Mouth, on the mighty Zambezi River, looking across toward Nkupe. If you have been here you will know the great contrasts of the colours as the rains come in on this rich flood plain area. The scene is epic! All the moments in life come together as one in a place and time like this. There is an ambiance to all of this that is difficult to put into words, but it’s why we come to this place, away from the crowd, drawn by the simplicity and reality of life out here.
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Kaveve
It’s early, and the sun is rising, her light falling across the trees and the river bank. The month of September is hot down here and the wildlife travels early morning and late afternoon to avoid the mid-day heat. The orchestra of birds is almost deafening in a somewhat peaceful way. Today is just another beautiful day out here - there is no expectation, just life!
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Gonarezhou
This scene has left people in awe for many years. It’s where the epic Runde River journeys on its way to join the great Save River. These waters continue flowing through Mozambique and into the Indian ocean.
To be here and quietly take in the incredible scene, with the continuous movement of the animals, is hard to describe. Suffice to say, the enormity of it all, and in fact the reminder of our own mortality amongst it, becomes very evident.
This area is full of legend and myth, much to do with the great battles that were fought just to the eastern end of these cliffs. The evening light on tthem resembles a beautiful cathedral lit up for an evening service.
This is the ‘Gonarezhou’, Place of the Elephants.
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The Alliance
Lion males often join up in small groups to ensure their ability to manage an area and the females in it. I have seen up to four male lions in a group, a formidable “army” as it were, who make intruders think twice about trying to take over a pride.
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The Storm
I have always been interested in black and white photography; it has a way of capturing light beautifully and yet simply. This oil painting depicts the battle that is going on in many of the wild places in Africa. The elephants move at pace toward the sanctuary on the oncoming storm, perhaps symbolically to new life and away from the dry harsh landscape that depicts the bad lands, where they are under siege from ivory poaching and man in general.
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Elephant Tricks
Some of the elephants. in the great Mana Pools National Park. are known for their ability to stand on their back legs and grab tasty Albida branches full of pods. I have seen them using props like anthills and dead branches to get up and reach these branches, and yet some of them, including iconic "Boswell", stand in one fluid movement. It's an incredible sight!
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Now We Are Free
Based on an area in the great ‘Chewore’ River in the Zambezi Valley, this scene is not far from ‘Mariatsoro Spring', a spring that flows through a gorge there. There is a feeling of being alone out here as it is evident by its remoteness that very few people have been here.
The river bed is a carpet of elephant dung and spoor from countless lion and buffalo. The place is truly spiritual.
Kuterera!
This pan, like so many others in The Great Zambezi Valley, has become the meeting place for many. The edges scattered with elephant dung and great footprints in the mud that sometimes last for years after they have dried – like signatures on a board – the signs of those who have been before.
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Sunset Herd
A painting based on a sighting I had in Hwange - an elephant herd moving off in the evening time as the pinks splash across the sky, holding us in that special moment.
Africa
