Madagascar being one of the largest islands in the world and in the top fifty countries by size was in fact very late to be populated. The people are about equal parts of African, Indian, and Pacific islander descent, along with an assortments of Europeans from a brief time of colonial rule by France. It was a difficult location for the colonial powers to exert control over due to its remoteness, harsh environment, and the multitude of warring kingdoms that populated the island. After much tumult, Madagascar (spelling error in the painting), emerged as a democracy and now faces additional challenges from diseases, deforestation and climate change. One of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, it also has an incredibly diverse environment consisting of numerous endemic species, that is, only found there such as the lemur. In the painting, you can see a diverse biome of cactus, balboa tree species, dry shrubbery, all growing in the red-orange clay. The design idea was to offset the warm colours with pops of green and blue, and to give an overwhelming sense of growth, an almost alien looking landscape.
World Inspired Landscapes: Madagascar, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, February 2024
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