The Cat’s Whiskers

It’s late November in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park when I catch up with Lisette,
an adult cheetah who gave birth to 3 cubs mid-July 2008.
Now 4 months, they sport the last signs of cheetah-cub camo-gear; a halo of silver
hairs said to mimic the more ferocious honey badger and an effective way to
advertise “don’t-mess-with-me” to the prying eyes of any potential predators.
 

Lisette’s done well to raise this litter through the harsh dry season.
Current research being conducted by Dr Gus Mills in the KGNP shows that cheetahs
here have to resort to hunting small prey, like hares, just to survive.
Sadly, cub mortality due to starvation is exceptionally high. That, coupled with the
low rate of reproduction of the females, emphasises the fundamental role cheetah
conservation plays. Captive breeding projects like De Wildt’s Cheetah Trust and the
Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre offer excellent tours of their facilities to raise
awareness. Cheetah Outreach at Spier touches thousands of people every year with
their hand-raised ambassador cheetahs and are altering farmers’ attitudes and training
Anatolian Shepherd dogs to guard small stock.
 

But nothing is quite so rewarding as following the spoor of a wild cheetah like

Lisette across a thousand kilometres of untouched wilderness into the remotest
reaches of South Africa… .

… .Then finding her being stalked, pounced upon and perfectly content
in the company of her three playful cubs… .

 

Medium: Pastel on Royal Sovereign Board
Dimensions: 160mm X 230mm each

Art Technique

Technique

Angela has perfected a pastel technique to imitate feathers and fur, rendering the rich textures, colours and forms of Africa’s animals and birds with impeccable precision. Her handling of light accentuates the 3-dimensional quality of her subjects. Background elements are more spontaneously executed, hinting at natural habitats, while focusing the eye on the subject.
Over 30 years of camping in Africa’s remote wilderness areas, and countless hours in the company of herds of elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebras & the great predators that stalk them, enables Angela to further study animal behaviour & ecology. She remains a dedicated conservationist, likely to be found on her haunches at a busy hyena den, or sketching oystercatchers on the sandy shores below her studio.
Her work is represented in many private collections throughout Southern Africa as well as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany & Holland.

Buffalo

Pastel on Royal Sovereign Pastelboard

Male Lion

Pastel on Royal Sovereign Pastelboard

Giraffe

Pastel on Royal Sovereign Pastelboard