I'm thrilled to share that my watercolour piece, "Frolic", has been selected as a finalist in the Africa Wildlife Artist of the Year competition, annually hosted by the fabulous Fine Art Gallery in Namibia.
This international, juried competition not only offers artists a wonderful platform to showcase their work, but also creates awareness and raises funds for nature conservation. This year, they have already raised N$47,000 for the incredible Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation!
I am humbled and honoured to be part of this incredible opportunity! My frolicking felines have made it all the way to Namibia -- it was a bitter-sweet feeling to let them go...
Funnily enough, these are not the first leopards that I've sent to the gallery in Swakopmund. About ten years ago, I painted my first, entitled "Yawn". Below you can see it side-by-side with "Frolic".
Ten years have passed from one painting to the other. Ten years of learning, failing, growing, experimenting, refining, obsessing, evolving, doubting, persisting, observing, adapting, creating, and believing...
Thank you, Journey.
My immense thanks to wildlife photographer, Marietjie Froneman, for her incredible photo, without which "Frolic" never would have existed.
The reference photo for "Yawn" was expertly captured by Stephan Olivier -- one of the very first photographers that gifted me the permission to use his photo.
See more of my photo-realistic wildlife art in my online shop:
