World Inspired Landscapes: Botswana

Here is the first version which was a little rough around the edges but had some great energy. The green splashes worked, and the animals were leaping right off the rock. The drawings were inspired by actual rock art from Botswana. Now that I see it scanned, it's kind of my favorite version! The animal in the middle with the stick legs makes me laugh.

 World Inspired Landscapes: Botswana i, 5 x 11.5" cold press, watercolour, April 2021 (No. 2606a)

World Inspired Landscapes: Botswana iii, 5 x 7.5" cold press, watercolour, April 2021 (No. 2607)

Located in East Africa, Botswana is one of the fastest growing countries due to abundant resources and tourism. It is a popular safari destination since the majority of the country is protected land teeming with zebras, elephants, elands, lions, and all sorts of birds and reptiles. It is also know for its cave and rock art done by indigenous people from thousands of years ago and in modern times. In my painting, the animals resemble living rock art, they were done in silhouette using burnt sienna (PR101) and some burnt umber for shadowing (PBr7). Those are likely to be similar pigments as the ancient rock paintings were made from, the are very durable and don't fade over time. The rock artists (painters not musicians!) probably got their paints from a trader or local paint maker, archeologists found evidence of a sophisticated paint making operation including grinders, containers, and about 4 or 5 types of pigments. By the way, did you notice the lion lurking in the painting?

World Inspired Landscapes: Botswana ii, 5 x 11.5" cold press, watercolour, April 2021

The painting at the top of the blog was the third try, this one above was the second try. The first try was a little off the mark so I didn't scan it, its on the back of this one. The main change I made was the proportion going for a taller aspect ratio, and the forest was redesigned. The animals can be endlessly rearranged but for full impact this kind of painting would need to be on a larger surface area format. The main thing is that the series is meant to capture ideas and have a little virtual adventure after all. (No. 2606b)