Sometimes you need to lose something to realize how precious it is… as in his comment on shooting a she-wolf in his hunting days….
“We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then and have known ever since that there was something new to me in those eyes, something known only to her and to the mountain”.
Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
‘A fierce green fire’ …this image of an Iberian Wolf is credit to Re-Wilding Portugal Life WolFlux project…
Endangered European and North American wolves and endangered African wild dogs resonate in my mind, both species being charismatic social animals and apex predators in healthy ecosystems, hunters who, in the past and often in the present, have been persecuted by Man, considered as vermin with bounties paid for their tails…..as in this childhood photograph from Clive Stockil…
wild dogs persecuted as vermin- Clive & Vhandi with wilddogs shot on Essanby, Zimbabwe – mid 1950’s
I have lived for the last 23 years with various packs of African wild dogs in the Save Valley Conservancy and Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe. This area is part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), which encompasses rural communities and national parks within Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.
Working from my bush house, I paint large canvases, overseen by another natural predator, the vulture!
The fierce green fire that Aldo Leopold acknowledges is the same fierce red fire I see in our wild dogs eyes…
a fierce red fire…..
As I progress with a new large painting on canvas, the parts begin to make the whole…. a young dog stares out at me, red fire in her eyes, fierce yet wondering…
red fire in her eyes, fierce yet wondering…
and the rest of her pack follow, decisions on the best way forward for a successful hunt are high in their minds….
Heres the final LARGE painting … ( it is on loose canvas, hence a few wrinkles which will stretch out with framing…)
Lin Barrie, “Decisions”, acrylic on loose canvas , 140 x 185 cm
My photographs and sketches embrace the warmth and social care that the packs exhibit for each other..
wild dogs photo by Lin Barrie, – Mbungo pack – the alpha female pregnant April 2018
Sketching and watching them is one of my primary joys…. and I work towards raising awareness of these charismatic, caring animals, as essential threads in the wonderful tangled webs of our wild ecosystems.
Lin Barrie “Wild dog Sisters”, mixed media on loose canvas, 90 x 87 cm
Vultures follow naturally after wild dogs, cleaning up and maintaining healthy environments, and they are dramatic subjects to sketch of course…
Lin Barrie “Vultures”, mixed media on loose canvas, 90 x 87 cm
Our challenge worldwide is to embrace wildlife adjacent to and within human and domestic animals systems, to view the whole picture of mosaic landscapes and creatures as one…
Certainly in Zimbabwe, I begin to see a change of heart in rural communities, such as these Xangana herders shepherding their Nguni cattle in a sand forest shared with wild life on the edge of Gonarezhou National Park. Outreach conservation/education allows them to understand the possibility of co-existence with wildlife…
Awareness has a long way to go, but initiatives such as African Wildlife Conservation Fund, painted Wolf Foundation, Painted Wolf Wines, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Tusk Trust and Painted Dog Conservation in Africa and such as WolFlux in The Rewilding Europe programme, do wonderful research and outreach.
My hope is high for the future of humanity and animal co-exisitence- there is a will, and the right decisions ARE being made in may re-wilding areas…
decisions, Decisions, DECISIONS!
Let’s not let the fire go out…….
Create awareness, create physical and mental corridors!!!! We are working on corridors within the GLTFCA here in Africa, and we embrace corridors worldwide that can link ecosystems, create mosaics of diversity for the betterment of all…
Painted Wolves, (aka African Wild dogs, Painted dogs), although Canids, are not a species of wolf or dog, and can not interbreed, they are unique. But Lycaon pictus are our African equivalent of the European and North American wolf races in their social habits, and in their predation on indigenous antelope and other smaller mammals.
all the various common names for the same wonderful creature, Lycaon pictus….
This New Year of 2021, I have something to hang straightaway on your wall…especially for you during stay at home lockdowns… energize your space! My art collaboration, with make up artist Kelli Barker … (photography by DaXiOn and Lin Barrie), uses my original painting Diptych called “ Energy” and my wallpaper/ fabric print called “Autumn” as backdrops for 3D body art. During Lockdown, these six prints are available to order and hang on your wall…a reminder during these COVID times and enforced lockdowns that we, as social animals, need to be gentle with each other, caring of ourselves and aware of the creativity and force for good within each and every one of us….. 1. Energy, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches:
Hand Energy, Lin Barrie, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
2. Hand Energy, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Hand Energy, Lin Barrie, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
3. Hands Laid On, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Hands Laid On, Lin Barrie, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
4. Refrain, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Refrain, Lin Barrie, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
5. Speak No Evil, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Speak No Evil, Lin Barrie, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
6. Think Before You Speak, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Think Before You Speak, Lin Barrie, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches
Here are mock ups of the prints in rooms, to whet your appetite….plus Original painting “Energy”, and fabric “Autumn”, which was used as a background in some of the prints….
“Energy” diptych by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, each 2 x 2 feetLin Barrie art “Autumn” printed on fabric…
In 2020 a global disaster struck, as the virus Covid 19 rapidly became top of the news and top of human concerns worldwide..
here is part of my larger painting, portraying a hand on heart greeting, common to the Changana community with whom we live in the South Eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe…
The Hand on Heart greeting is called Kusheweta ….
In response so many art galleries had to close doors, close exhibition opening and work from home, from safe spaces. The world of Art Fairs and shows turned upside down and went online. In response The National Gallery of Zimbabwe curated an online exhibition, titled “Will the Sun Rise Again Post Covid?”
Enough of #socialdistancing and #isolation in #lockdown! …hands not touching, reaching out but unable to make contact…is the #cure or #precaution worse than the #disease?! We are #socialanimals, and the lack of skin contact, severance of human connection, must surely damage our psyche, our sense of well being, in far-reaching ways…
We need to find a way to encourage and manage social contacts, so as to preserve each others health and preserve the health of our whole eco-systems…
My painting “Hands on Hearts” expresses my wish for a global social ‘togetherness”, a healthy environment and a stable human community….
Lin Barrie, “Hands on Hearts”, acrylic painting on canvas, 90 x 128 cm
A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other’s like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Using the right hand is generally considered proper etiquette. Customs surrounding handshakes are specific to cultures. Different cultures may be more or less likely to shake hands, or there may be different customs about how or when to shake hands. The handshake is believed by some to have originated as a gesture of peace by demonstrating that the hand holds no weapon Handshakes are known to spread a number of microbial pathogens. Certain diseases such as scabies are known to spread the most through direct skin-to-skin contact. A medical study has found that fist bumps and high fives spread fewer germs than handshakes
Policies encouraging people to use alternative modes of greeting instead of a handshake have become a feature of 2020… such as fist bumping, smiling, bowing, waving, and non-contact Namaste gestures, raised brows, smiling, wai bow, two claps, hand over heart, sign language wave, or the shaka sign elbow bump, the fist bump, foot tapping !
It has been discovered as a part of a research in the Weizmann Institute, that human handshakes serve as a means of transferring social chemical signals between the shakers. It appears that there is a tendency to bring the shaken hands to the vicinity of the nose and smell them. They may serve an evolutionary need to learn about the person whose hand was shaken, replacing a more overt sniffing behavior, as is common among animals and in certain human cultures (such as Tuvalu, Greenland or rural Mongolia, where a quick sniff is part of the traditional greeting ritual)Namaste, a traditional Hindu greeting, means, “The Divine within me bows to the same Divine within you” Countries such as Japan, Korea, do not have a tradition of shaking hands and prefer to formally bow (with hands open by their sides) to each other,
Related to a handshake but more casual, some people prefer a fist bump. Only the knuckles of the clenched hand are touched to the knuckles of the other person’s hand. Like a handshake the fist bump may be used to acknowledge a relationship with another person. However, unlike the formality of a handshake, the fist bump is typically not used to seal a business deal or in formal business settings.
The hand hug is a type of handshake popular with politicians, as it can present them as being warm, friendly, trustworthy and honest. This type of handshake involves covering the clenched hands with the remaining free hand, creating a sort of “cocoon”.
Another version popular with politicians is a “photo-op handshake” in which, after the initial grasp both individuals turn to face present photographers and camera men and stay this way for several seconds.
In some areas of Africa, handshakes are continually held to show that the conversation is between the two talking. If they are not shaking hands, others are permitted to enter the conversation.
Masai men in Africa greet one another by a subtle touch of palms of their hands for a very brief moment of time.
In Liberia, the snap handshake is customary in which the two shakers snap their fingers against each other at the conclusion of the handshake.
In Ethiopia, it is considered rude to use the left hand during a handshake. While greeting the elderly or a person in authority, it is also customary to accompany the handshake with a bow and the left hand supporting the right. This is especially important if it is the first time.
In Thailand, handshaking is only done if the traditional “Wai” is not offered. The person will offer what’s called a “wai,” placing their palms together at chest level and bowing. Return the gesture.
The shaka sign, sometimes known as “hang loose” and in South Africa as “tjovitjo” (pronounced tcho-VEE-tcho), is a gesture of friendly intent often associated with Hawaii and surf culture. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while holding the three middle fingers curled, and gesturing in salutation while presenting the front or back of the hand; the hand may be rotated back and forth for emphasis. While the shaka sign has spread internationally from its Hawaiian cultural roots to surf culture and beyond, the hand gesture also bears a variety of meaning in different contexts and regions of the world.
In our Tsonga (Hlengwe) area of south east zimbabwe (northern Tsonga region towards the Limpopo River), Women use hand clapping horizontally, Men use hand clapping vertically.
Kubamavoko is the act of hand clapping Bamavoko hand clapping.
Or, my favourite greeting, men use Hand on Heart. Kusheweta is the act of ‘ hand on heart’ greeting, and Sheweta is the noun.
Lin Barrie, Life studies, Charcoal Sketches: in response to Social greeting customs and Covid Concerns..
“Handshake”, by Lin Barrie, charcoal on white paper, A2 size
“Don’t Touch”, by Lin Barrie, charcoal on white paper, A2 size
“Hand on Heart” by Lin Barrie, charcoal on white paper, A2 size
Here is my painting hung in a virtual room, with a gorgeous yellow life-affirming settee, which I chose because of the hopeful and positive colour!
I created that virtual hanging before pantone announced, as they do annually, their choice of ‘Colour of the Year’
I am intrigued by the serendipitous Pantone Colour of the year 2021 announcement… Two colours chosen, a Golden Yellow colour called “Illuminating” and “Ultimate Gray”, both of which have great synergy with my Hands on Hearts painting…
Pantone says:
“The union of an enduring Ultimate Grey with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.”
I could not have said it better myself!
Hope
Empathy
Positivity
Steadfastness
Friendship
Family
Health
Hands on Hearts, acrylic painting on canvas, by Lin Barrie… Chief Mahenye’s people, the Hlengwe people of South East Zimbabwe (which is the Northern Tsonga region towards the Limpopo River) use the “hand on heart” greeting. ‘Kusheweta’ is the verb, the act of greeting, and ‘Sheweta’ is the noun, the greeting.
I choose to see the positive survival of these cultural traditions in a healthy Zimbabwean community, a vibrant ecosystem. The sun WILL rise again post COVID. The universe is no doubt unfolding as it should. The human spirit, in conjunction with the natural world, WILL prevail and triumph.
Sunset on the great Save River below Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, in the domain of Chief Mahenye
The synergy between Wine and Wild Dogs may not be immediately apparent, but read on……..!!!!
My art, Painted Wolf Wine and Conservation go hand in hand…at a wine tasting, (Inn on the Vumba, with #GordonAddams…)
Save The Date: Listen in on the 23rd September – a “Wild Chat’ with Jeremy Borg of Painted Wolf Wines (PWW), Gerhard Perold of Perold Wine Celler and Cole Du Plessis of Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)- who together will present fascinating facts and wine tasting to raise awareness of Lycaon pictus, these charismatic animals that we commonly call, amongst so many other names, Painted Wolves, Painted Dogs, African Wild Dogs
Wild Chat….
Listen in to the Wild Chat and “Paint your Palate” !!!
Learn about the conservation work of EWT with Cole Du Plessis
Painted Wolf Wines produce award winning blends, worth exploring the range….
Jeremy, master winemaker, and his wife Emma Borg are passionate about wine, wild dogs and conservation…
Jeremy and Emma, with my painting “Pep Rally” in the background
As an artist, I am passionate about the same, but I aim to capture in paint the emotions they capture in their wines!!!
I am constantly aiming to capture movement and character. i am fascinated by the energy and charisma of African wild dogs, and never more so than when I am watching them at play and socializing as a family, in their pre-hunt “pep rally”….
Hunting Solo, acrylic on stretched canvas, 2 x 3 feet, by Lin Barrie, on display at Perold Wine Cellar
My large painting “Pep Rally II” was displayed at the excellent Painted Wolf Wines tasting room in Paarl, but it has outgrown its space and is migrating northwards to Madikwe Hills Safari Lodge, classic wild dog pack dispersal!!!
This will be an apt new home for the dogs, as Madikwe stocks the wonderful Painted Wolf Wines as well!
Pep Rally II, acrylic on loose canvas, 106 x 180 cm, by Lin Barrie
My association with Jeremy and Emma is a long standing friendship, with huge admiration for their ceaseless efforts on behalf of African wild dog conservation, (and for Jeremy’s excellent wines!)
Wine Label by Lin Barrie for Painted Wolf Wines
Gerhard Perold of Perold Wine Cellar in the United Kingdom holds delicious stocks of Jeremy’s wine for his customers, and I am honoured to have some of my art featured for sale in his lovely tasting space…
the Perold Tasting Rooma warm welcome at perold wine cellars, with Gerhard Perold…
Red Wine and Wild dogs…guess what I used to paint the background of these canvases…
Red Wine I and II, acrylic on stretched canvas, each 41 x 51 cm, by Lin Barrie, on display at Perold Wine Cellar
Ha Ha- no- not red wine!!!! I used acrylic, brushes and my favourite old palette knife to create the strokes and the feeling of spilled red wine….
As a contrast to all the action in the previous paintings, my large canvas called “Resting III”, on display for sale at Perold Cellars, is probably how we all feel after a evening spent with good friends and family, a good meal and a glass or two of wine, Relaxed!
Resting III, acrylic on loose canvas, 106 x 180 cm, by Lin Barrie, on display at Perold Wine Cellar
Long may EWT, PWW and Perold Wine Cellars continue to promote and support the awareness and real conservation of our African Wild Dogs, in wilderness and community areas alike…
Cheers!
Jeremy’s wine-tasting on the banks of the Save River, Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, Gonarezhou National Park
Hornbills I, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on loose canvas, 104 x 179 cm
I still sketch and paint,
Giant eagle Owl, by lin barrie, charcoal on handmade paper
and birders take flight onto the internet airwaves, going virtual!
ground hornbill flying, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on craft paper, 46 x 64 cm
Rooting around cyberspace clues, digging into virtual exhibitions and online zoom chats and podcasts, happy birders find fascinating birds, information and art…
Guinea fowl III, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on brown craft paper, 30 x 42 cm
I have gladly contributed to the Virtual Bird Fair run by Birdlife South Africa,
Carmine season, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 90 x 90 cm
My art reflects the diversity of birdlife that surrounds us in Africa, and my field sketches try to capture the movement and character of whatever I see around me, in this case Birds Birds Birds!
Corvus sketch, by Lin Barrie, charcoal, A2
Experimenting with charcoal handmade from my mopani wood fire, I sketch the characterful crows that occasionally visit our bush house…
Cape Parrots in our Zimbabwean Lowveld are now called Brown Necked Parrots…
The wonderful feisty Cape/Grey Headed Parrots in the Save Valley Conservancy and Gonarezhou Park, in our Zimbabwean Lowveld, are now called Brown Necked Parrots…
Brown necked parrots, oil on canvas, framed/glassed, 61 x70 cm
Flight and movement fascinate me as I try to capture the expression, the immediacy of that buoyant feeling…
great egret, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on canvas board, 46 x 61 cm
Flight entrances man always, and my experiences of flight, observing and feeling at one with birds in flight, remain forever seared in my mind, such as my experiences with Pennant Winged Nightjars in the Mukuvisi woodlands
And lets hope that preservation of our unique birding systems, whether in suburban gardens or protected wilderness, whether on mining dumps, open seas, sandy shorelines, in wetlands or on alluvial river banks, remains a key concern for all thinking people.
Water is Life, Life is Culture, by Lin Barrie
Pomona Art Wall in Harare displays murals by some of Zimbabwe’s artists, one being our late and dear Daryl Nero. Empowered by Miracle Missions, the wall reflects some of our concerns about wetlands, water and eco systems, here is some of my art from that ….
Water is Life….
I leave you with my large painting, titled Hornbill and Diamond….. it poses a large question, currently very pertinent as diamond mining seems to be edging its way into our protected areas within Zimbabwe…….mining activities over fragile ecosystems?
Hornbill and Diamond , acrylic and oil pastel, by Lin Barrie
Kelli Barker Body Art and Make Up and Lin Barrie Art in a collaboration, beating Covid!!
The inspiration behind this collaboration between myself and Kelli, for a photoshoot with Daxion Photography started with my acrylic painting called “Energy”…
Energy by Lin Barrie, acrylic on canvas, 2 x 2 feet
My original acrylic painting celebrates colour and movement, mark-making …it celebrates the positive energy we can generate in our everyday human interactions…..to overcome the negative fears of Covid na disease that the whole world has faced in this year of 2020….
Here I start painting Kelli in the same style as my “energy” paintings…
Lin Barrie and Kelli Barker
the challenge of painting on a 3D surface pleases me…
Painting on a 3D surface pleases me…
Furthering the theme, this series of photos portrays gestures of friendship in these challenging times…. our Zimbabwean Tsonga tradition of greeting, “hand on heart”, versus the western style “handshake”…
here are my initial charcoal sketches…
Hand on Heart by Lin BarrieHandshake, by Lin Barrie
The Hlengwe people of south east zimbabwe (northern Tsonga region towards the Limpopo River) use hand clapping as a form of friendship greeting and thanks…plus a gesture of Hand on Heart…. The hand on heart greeting is called Kusheweta.
Photograph by Daxion Photography
and so Kelli’s pose, here professionally photographed by Daxion Photography, reflects the Hand on Heart gesture to convey social connection, trust and friendship in these difficult “covid” times…
Photo by Lin Barrie
Hand on Heart, eyes wide open to the possibilities of human friendship and trust….
eyes wide open, hand on heart…Photograph by Daxion Photography
Eyes shut….trusting….
Eyes shut….trusting….Photograph by Daxion Photography
The stunning black and white version of the Daxion photographs…
Eyes open, black and white….Photograph by Daxion Photography
The trust implicit in shut eyes is palpable….
my favourite image….
Photo by Lin Barrie
For some of my art prints on canvas please go to my blog Hand Energy, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Hand Energy, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Hands Laid On, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Refrain, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Speak No Evil, Mono, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Think Before You Speak, Colour, Inkjet print on canvas, limited edition, 12 x 12 inches Original painting “Energy” Original Painting “Autumn”
The end of the long dry winter season in the lowveld brings drifts of russet leaves between dark stark trunks…
detail from my larger painting, Mopani Winter Woodland
I know this is the season to watch out for deep red eyes between the tree trunks,
the eyes have it…
Huge dinner plate ears turned inquiringly my way……
my, what big ears you have…
amidst drifts of gold and red fallen mopani leaves…
Leaves which are just the colour of my Wild dog’s eyes…
Wild Dog, acrylic on strteched canvas, 28 x 20 cm by Lin Barrie
As I drive looking for wild dog dens, deep red mopani leaves nestle in fossilized elephant footprints at pans long dried…
Sunrise and sunset bring glowing colour through the mysterious dark trunks of mopani forest…
My painting is called Mopani Winter Woodland, acrylic on loose canvas, 80 x 180 cm, …
An ideal play ground for Painted wolves, aka African wild dogs to leap and wrestle before heading out to hunt with their family, as in my paintings below…
Pep Rally I, acrylic on loose canvas, 90 x 88 cmPep Rally II, acrylic on loose canvas, 90 x 88 cm
I can’t get enough of this winter season, the shapes of the leaves reminding g me of butterflies fallen to earth…
my photographic and painted art tries in some small way to capture the essence of “butterfly”…
Butterfly on a mopani log…..
the feeling of a swarm of fluttering butterflies, bringing to mind the migrations of Monarch butterflies that drift across whole continents ….
Mopani Leaf Butterflies, by Lin Barrie -diptych, acrylic on stretched canvas….each panel is 61x 91 cmdetail from my paintings…
Russet mopani leaves are an integral part of our lowveld skies,
gracing South East Zimbabwe with their glowing silhouettes against winter blue skies, enhancing game drives from Chilo Gorge safari Lodge into the magnificent Gonarezhou National Park and traversing the Save Valley Conservancy….
and all the while enhancing the seasonal winter promise of coming across the tell tale eyes of an African wild dog, peering through the camouflaging leaves…
“Shumba” by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 92 x 92 cm
Musings on the languid, lithe and lovely beast that we call ‘Lion’ …
lioness and young male in Mana Pools, photograph Lin Barrie
Panthera leo, creature of fable and bible, myth and immediate powerful reality.
My immediate and powerful reality.
Here below is my sketch in honour of the great artist Rembrandt, who acutely and empathetically observed and sketched lions in captivity:
Recumbent Lion, Ode To Rembrandt, acrylic on canvas, by Lin Barrie
I live with lions, have tracked lions, been growled at by unseen lions, sketched and painted many lions. Their powerful presence is part of my psyche, part of the ‘wild’ in me that celebrates every moment of being a part of the great web of bio-diversity that surrounds us.
Here is a gorgeous male, one of two we spent hours with in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park….
Kgalagadi Lion – photograph by Lin Barrie
Lions..constant inspiration and fascinating in their social family ties…
They hunt warthogs below our Senuko bush house, Tsavene, in broad daylight and their reverberating roars punctuate our sleep on most nights.
They impact fiercely on my beloved African wild dog packs, killing adults and pups when they can. And yet I have to accept that this is the way of the wild, the beast with the velvet glove….
Their footprints mingle with ours on walks and safari drives in the Gonarezhou, after nights spent tucked snugly listening to them, safe in the Mahove Tented Camp run by Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge.
And if we are lucky, we spot them in dense cover, peering at us….
Lion in Gonarezhou , photograph by Clive Stockil
Sometimes at dinner on the high deck of Chilo Gorge Lodge, overlooking the Save River, the roars of lions and yodels of hyenas on the opposite river bank nearly drown out the guests awed conversation!
How lucky am I… living in the wilderness areas of Gonarezhou and Save Valley Conservancy in South Eastern Zimbabwe
Let your mind go- Do yourself a favor and read The Rise of The Vaesons – an African Fantasy/eco-tale by Zimbabwean author P.J.Odendaal, featuring Lions, Wild dogs, and a host of fantastic African creatures..
In celebration of World Lion Day on August 10th, Panthera are proud to share the story of the lion ‘Shy’ and his quest for a safe and lasting home in the vast landscape of Kafue National Park, Zambia. Panthera, Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Willdife and the Zambian Carnivore Program, together with partners, are transforming this park into a stronghold for lions like Shy along with leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs.
Panthera Lion Program Director Paul Funston recommends the new book “The Last Lions of Africa” by Anthony Ham. He says, “With the world’s attention on the upcoming #WorldLionDay August 10, this timely book examines the main challenges and threats to #lion populations through the lens of stories from different parts of the lion’s range. It was my privilege to help the author with some of the research and it is my honor to have this photograph of the magnificent Humba that I took in Hwange selected for the cover. The answers to the threats lion face are diverse and a key thought process deeply engaged in this excellent new narrative.”
The book includes in-depth and previously unpublished information from places like #HwangeNationalPark and includes updates on the descendants of the famous Cecil. For more information: https://bit.ly/2PmFr11
The Kgalagadi lions are legendary, photograph by Lin Barrie
I am the child that wakes scared in the night, seeing a robber’s shadow always in the same position, his hooked nose defined by the handle of my half open bedroom door.
I am the child that hovers in delicious, terrible fear on the edge of my bed in the dark, knowing that there be monsters below, waiting until I can wait no longer to make the leap outwards over the parquet floor blocks as far as I can, away from that stygian hole under my mattress. Upon landing I dash to the dimly lit passage and bathroom, not daring to look at the darkness behind!
And now I am out and about in that very darkness, nervous but on a secret mission with my father and dog. He does not say why but we amble to our favourite place, the Mukuvisi Woodlands, for a late, very late, afternoon walk. A full moon rises orange behind entwined Msasa tree trunks.
I know these trees.
By daylight…
We run and climb and play hide and seek with our dogs through these trees.
By daylight…
We spot birds nests, orchids and frogs on our ramblings through these trees.
By daylight.….
But now it is dark.…..
Msasa Moon, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 3 x 3 feet
We come into the open, in what my father calls ‘the amphitheater’, to sit on pale beige sand still warm from the rays of the late sun, surrounded by dusk and an audience of whispering Msasa trees. We are peering upwards. I look at my dad and I am whispering as well, “Why?”..
Then, WOW!
An impossible moth shape drifts in front of the moon and over my head as the dog and I crouch low on the sand next to my father.
Bigger than any moth feasible, a fantastical beast floats its shadow over me, trailing two impossibly long white pennants that flutter against the African night sky. Only the presence of my father and my dog leaning against me enable me to look up in wonder and not fear.
It is not a huge alien moth but an exquisite fantastical bird that we have come to witness as it dances aloft like an oriental kite flown by a masterful string puller. Soon it is joined by another, their long pennants fluttering as they dip and swoop in aerial display. My father knows these birds. “Pennant-winged nightjars”, he says.
Pennant Winged Nightjars, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 3 x 3 feet
We crouch in wonder for many minutes, and I can feel my father grinning. What a gift he has given me. What a gift the dark has given me, and I wander home to my suburban supper in a daze; to an ordinary life under lights, macaroni cheese, and my second favourite T.V. series, Batman.
Am I to embrace the dark after all? My fascination with Batman the night avenger might indicate so…and now I am entranced with the promise of creatures of the night so elegant and so compelling that they exceed my wildest eight year old imaginations and fill me with awe.
When I awake in bed later that night, as I know I have to, the shadows of my bedroom seem more filled with promise than with fear. I pull my curtains open and the sinking moon smiles back at me.
Out there, somewhere in the dark, the pennant wings dance and fly.
“Pennants I, II and III” triptych by Lin Barrie
Lin Barrie:
A surreal avian memory, a bird which was a moth which was an oriental flying kite, which was a fantastical part of the African night sky, has remained one of the clearest, most resonating images of my young life. A hunter of insects by night, with seasonal display pennants that turn it into a fairytale creature of the moon…
Pennant winged nightjars, acrylic on stretched canvas, 3 x 3 feet detail from the larger painting
I think it has helped to form my fascination with synergies, linkages between elements of landscape, people and animals, such as the flow of water which becomes fish, the texture of baobab skin which so closely resembles that of elephants’ limbs, the shapes of monumental rock outcrops which take human or animal forms, plants which echo human parts, animal totems and people….
Whether we are humans living in sprawling cities or traditional villages, or dung beetles rolling our food stores; whether we are monumental baobab trees thousands of years old or whales birthing our young in cold currents; each of us has a vital role to play as strands of the greater web of life. Diversity and linkages between people, plants, animals and their environment are insurance for the future of our earth.
Biology became a passion for me during my school years. Plans to enter the world of medicine or science were superseded only by the decision to pursue the lonely path of an artistic career.
From my memories and my constant field sketches I create artworks on canvas with a treasured old palette knife inherited from my father with which I create expressive strokes.
I relish every visit to the magical miombo/msasa Mukuvisi woodlands in Harare, my childhood haunt.
Pennants I, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 42 x 59,5 cm (A2) Pennants II, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 42 x 59,5 cm (A2) Pennants III, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, 42 x 59,5 cm (A2)
