Atramenti Domina

Lady of Ink…

The works on this site were created with the intention of touching a chord within whomever looks at them. Everyone has an affinity with a specific animal, plant, bird or reptile, be it companion or wild, and there is nothing quite like an actual representation of that association, something that you can grab with both hands and hold to you whenever you want or need to. You may, for example, have a special love for Elephants, or know someone who does. Or, you may simply appreciate the grace of a Black Sparrowhawk in flight. For me, there is nothing quite like looking at one of natures masterpieces, be it a graceful Cheetah or humble seed-pod, and trying to recreate, as far as possible, the soul of what I see. These things are fleeting, I want to hold them to myself, without doing harm.

So, the prints depict Africa and her animals as closely as I can represent them. To me, nature is perfect, and it is not always easy to capture the spirit of what she essentially is, although that is my intention. Not a replica, but the fundamental backbone of what epitomises a specific plant, bird, animal or reptile, such as the wise and thoughtful African Fish Eagle, forever surveying his domain of water and sky with his starched white shirt-front, deep rust waistcoat and sleek ebony overcoat.  Or the Burchell’s Zebra musing, while he contemplates the endless savannah of Africa. The African Shoebill is not one of ours, but the fact that he is so comical and such a character makes me feel he deserves a space here, and I hope that it will help to create awareness for his endangered status.

There are two prints I especially want to mention, the ‘Brownhooded Kingfisher – a Memory’, and the ‘Lioness Lost’. A few years ago, this beautiful bird flew into our window, and we rescued him. For about ten minutes he sat dead still, terrified, on my hand, before flying away. The following day and every day after that for about a year, he came to our stoep railing and watched us, sitting so close I could reach out and touch him, then he would flit off with his strident alarm call echoing behind him.

The Lioness Lost is a tribute to a small cub that was killed in the early morning in the Kruger Park by a senseless speeding motorist. I wanted to portray the endless searching and confusion that such a futile loss leaves behind, for any living creature.

Some of these are commissioned artworks, and some are works done because I am inspired by a specific animal at that time. In some cases the person who requested or commissioned a drawing paid for the rights, in which case they are not for sale. Some people, however, request a specific work in print form, in which case they are available to purchase. I work from photographs, being fortunate enough to have a family member who is also a well known part-time wildlife photographer, as well as friends who kindly pass on their work. Otherwise, where possible, my own photographs are used.

Some of them, such as the ‘Fish Eagle – A Tribute’ were done using two separate photographs, in this case one of them was mine (of the body) and the other was taken using a high-zoom lens of the head and face. The Eagle in question has his territory on the first bend in the Sabie River coming from Crocodile Bridge. Somehow, he is always there to welcome us, perched on a skeletal tree, as if awaiting our return. The ‘Fish Eagle Flight’ was captured in the early morning, at Shitlhave Dam, his haunting call, which is so evocative of Africa, echoing in the still air all around us.

A quick mention about the leopards, they are my favourite big cat, beautiful, serene, private and lethal. Their dappled, gold and amber coats blend into their natural surroundings so successfully, you often cannot see them, silently sleeping, watching or waiting. They are the embodiment of stealth and strength. Breathtaking.

The Cape Clawless Otter – while staying in the very beautiful St. Francis Bay one year, we heard rather unearthly growling and barking, and went outside to have a closer look. There were two of them, rolling around and frolicking without a care in the world on the front lawn. It was a memorable and special moment, an instance in time that I will remember always, seeing them so playful and carefree. Sadly, their numbers are declining, and there are few places left where you can still see them, especially in the wild.

The cute and quirky little Warthog is, of course, so profoundly reminiscent of character and strength against all odds. Many people call him ugly, but, really, he isn’t. He is just feisty and brave and adorable.

The Wild Dog, or more appropriately the Painted Dog, had to have a place here. He is almost no longer with us, relegated to the dubious status of extinct. A big word, with a big meaning.

The ‘Laughing’ Hyena. What can I say? Anyone who has spent time in the Bush will know the eerie whoop whoop, hee HEE hahaha (you know what I mean) that accompanies this character. And character he is, silly and grinning, and yes, definitely sheepish, although I will admit that they can be rather sinister at times, but so fascinating and so much like humans in many ways.

I must mention the Agama, and his kind. In this case he is a Southern Rock Agama, or more commonly, a Bloukop. They are stunning creatures – archaic and scaly and silent, not to mention their beautiful colouring and rather irascible ways. They embody everything that is worth defending.

The other reptile print on this page is the Blue-Tailed Skink, and he is the racing driver of the reptile world. He moves at speed, whipping his sinewy body around like an elastic band and disappearing into nooks and holes faster than you can blink. But if you do manage to spy him sunning himself on an Ivy-clad wall, as I did, take a moment to appreciate his beautiful, deep blue tail and smooth, silky, streamlined body.

Consider the magnificent Kudu, a formidable sight when you see him raise his impressive, great head, holding sway over his females with their soft, gentle brown eyes and delicate nobility. So very lovely to look at an animal who wears grace, dignity and pride like a specially tailored coat.

So, whatever you see in these prints, I hope it evokes a memory, a memory of a time when there was awe in everything beautiful that we saw, as it is with children. I will be updating this page all the time, so please visit regularly.

A WORD ON COLOUR

I like working with colour, although black and white really is my thing. It’s more dramatic and to me it tells a story. But having said that, colour has its place, and while a few of these were experimental, I have enjoyed doing them all. The frogs are very precious to me – we have two Red Toads living with us, and every day they come home after a night out and settle down, together, behind the chest of drawers. I love frogs, all frogs. The Red Toads are quite small and absolutely harmless, and even the cats are used to having them around.

Back to the frogs – the African Tree Frog was initially done as an ink wash for a child’s bedroom, but a few people who saw it asked for it to be printed, and so it was, and he is hugely popular. There is also a little Painted Reed Frog, and the other frog is a Brown-Backed Tree Frog, and why exactly I put him in an Arum Lily is not clear, he just seemed to want to be there, although in the wild this is not their natural habitat. The coloured ink used is acrylic drawing ink, which is applied in a light wash, sort of like watercolour.

The Sunflower is a tribute to the beautiful Hortus Eystettensis, from the Bishop von Gemmingen’s veritable paradise, the ‘Garden of Eden’, circa sixteenth century. As I have mentioned somewhere before, I love plants, they are intricate and gentle and beautiful, and I would consider a similar project to be a life’s work, if I can ever find the time to do it justice.

PLANTS

The joy of my heart. I love plants, all of them, but especially trees, and this section is going to get bigger and bigger, there are so many different aspects to it.

Driftwood is inspiring, walking along a quiet South Coast beach very early in the morning, when the sun just starts to sparkle on the water, and finding all that the sea has given up in the night, such as roots and bits of unidentifiable bark and plant parts – they are so wonderful to draw, and to collect.

I also want to do a whole range of drawings on our indigenous Aloes, of which there are plenty. The Seed Pod is a study in nature and art, and is also something I love to do. I hardly ever go anywhere without coming back with pods, thorns, fruits, bones or whatever else I can easily pick up and carry home.

A sensitive plant in a garden grew, And the young winds fed it with silver dew, And it opened its fan-like leaves to the light, and closed them beneath the kisses of night.

  ~Percy Bysshe Shelley

DEVIATIONS

Some interesting stuff here, the bones for example. I love bones, always have. Only animal, and only those that have died of natural causes, in this case a buffalo kill in the southern section of the Kruger Park, my home away from home whenever possible. This drawing was very roughly and quickly done, and is, as you can see, not in my trademark pen and ink, but in charcoal. Satisfying indeed. The graphite study is just that, with all sorts of seed pods, wings, shells, rocks, bones and the like thrown in. What a wonderful medium to work with, deep and dramatic and very demanding, yet soft and yielding. Worth more time.