THE STORY:
Thinking about wildlife conservation can often be pretty depressing, there’s a lot of bad news out there about the state of the environment and the lack of action that governments around the world seem to be prepared to take to safeguard wildlife or indeed wilderness areas. Moments for hope and celebration seem few and far between and if like me you care deeply for nature, it can all become a bit too overwhelming to try and hold on to those moments of hope and not simply become lost in the despair of it all. What once brought us joy becomes painful and heartbreaking.
With this in mind I wanted to create a collection of whimsical artworks that were playful and fun a reminder to still seek joy in our relationship with nature and to not become lost in the despair.
This was the second in the collection after “Elephant Splash” and it was based on a portrait of an amazing family of 5 cheetahs (a mother and her 4 fully grown cubs) that I photographed in Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania. This group seemed perfect for that idea of celebration at the heart of this collection. How amazing that against the odds this mother had managed to raise her four cubs to adulthood. With just 7,100 left in the wild in Africa – seeing these 4 more youngsters surviving to adulthood, in a vast wilderness where there are amazing people working to support their future was for me a moment to be hopeful.
Unlike the elephant I chose earthy colours for the splashes, colours that for me evoke a sense of Africa and her people, a connection to the earth, tones that are drawn from the magnificent palette of the cheetah’s themselves.
WHY CHEETAHS NEED YOUR HELP:
Cheetah are one of the most endangered big cats on the planet, although sadly many people are not aware of the challenges they face and how close they are to extinction. Official figures state there are now fewer than 7,100 left in the wild across the whole of Africa. To give that figure some context, there are 20,000 lions in the wild in Africa, another species that too is under threat, but at this stage considerably more prolific.
Like many other species the story is a familiar one: a combination of habitat loss and conflict with an ever increasing human population are posing the most serious threats to their survival and has already seen them eradicated from 90% of their historic range across Africa. Sadly their popularity within the illegal pet trade also plays a role in their demise in the wild.
Whilst currently still listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Redlist, the recent findings of populations surveys, revealing the startling declines in their numbers have led to a call for their status to be upgraded to “endangered” to truly reflect the dire situation they are facing.
Cheetah’s are versatile and free-roaming big cats, who’s conservation requires large protected areas and also support to mitigate the conflict with communities and farmers who live alongside them. With this is mind I have chosen to once again use the donation from my cheetah prints to support an organisation that is working to conserve large areas of Africa’s wilderness areas and is also committed to working closely with the communities around and within those areas to help people live successfully alongside the wildlife. African Parks beyond their commitment to protect the habitat cheetah’s need, have also been working hard to support cheetah specific conservation within their managed areas, this has included monitoring and research in all the areas they occur as well as the re-introduction of cheetah to Majete Wildlife Reserve and Liwonde National Park in Malawi and also to Bangweulu in Zambia, allowing these graceful big cats to reclaim some of their lost historic ranges.
African Parks also offers protection too Cheetah in some of the more vulnerable parts of West Africa – their work in Zakouma National Park in Chad and W National Park (& the adjacent Pendjari National Park) in Benin is critical for the survival of this Northwest African subspecies.
If you would like to support African Parks directly or learn more about the incredible work they do in some of the most vulnerable parts of Africa, you can visit their website by clicking here: https://www.africanparks.org
EXTRA INFORMATION:
Instead of offering bulk mass-produced prints, I want you to know that you are buying something special and unique. I feel that people should purchase fine art photography prints because the artwork speaks to them and they feel an emotional connection to the print and the photographer. All my prints are strictly available as low number limited edition runs. As a limited edition print sells its price will appreciate accordingly in the online store, as fewer remain available to purchase.
This picture is printed on archival grade fine art Hahnemühle Photorag paper. If you have not seen this before it a softly textured paper that gives a wonderful quality to an image, really empathising the idea of the texture you would imagine if the cheetah was actually standing in front of you. It is a brilliant paper for bringing out the subtle tones and textures.
I recommend that when you receive your print that you have it properly mounted and framed by an experienced professional frame shop to ensure the maximum care and longevity of your artwork.
Should you wish to purchase a limited edition print in a different size to that listed, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your requirements and provide a quote for the cost to produce the print in your desired size. I am also happy to provide quotes for framing or printing onto Chromaluxe if you would like to have your print sent to you ready for you to hang on your wall.
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