A Harsh Reality

The plight of the rhino becoming an endangered species is a fierce and emotive topic.

I was disgusted when one night, as my husband and I were enjoying the peaceful tranquility of the Lalibela Game Reserve in East London, we were told that our guide was called out on an emergency rhino reconnaissance as a helicopter was flying over the reserve scouting for these beautiful creatures.

The hard reality really hit me in that moment.

We had just seen these magnificent beasts in the wild, gracefully grazing while the sun was setting – their majesty was overwhelming. Who would want to do harm to such divine creatures? Well, we all know the answer to that and just how uneducated their killers are.

Casting ‘Spells’ in the Painting

So I wanted to evoke feelings of love and protection for these animals in this artwork.

I infused it with the immense sense of calm and tranquility I got from them when I first witnessed them in the wild. Hopefully, this will be mirrored back to the species — a peaceful life.

The gold spiral backgrounds are my better known trademark and they represent the verve of the sacred geometry of life — the divine blueprint. So I thought it apt to ‘preserve’ them in this energy.

How I Painted These Beautiful Beasties

In order of application:

I plotted out the subject matter with a permanent marker.
the background was painted black (2 coats),
I applied the gold spiral technique,
I used thick textured acrylic (the ‘Dala’ brand) to build up the tough raw hide look,
then I used bits of stick and bark to get that wrinkled texture,
Lastly came the final layers of definitive detail.

The painting is very tactile which may not be apparent in the photographic representation, thanks to the textured acrylic. Below are some close-up photo’s of the textured paint: