Madikwe and Porcupines: African Wild Dogs and Lin Barrie Art

I have always wanted to visit Madikwe Game Reserve –  one of South Africa’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries, a Big Five Reserve with 66 mammal species, (including Wild dog populations, aka Painted wolves or Painted Dogs..my favorite painting subjects…) and approximately 300 resident and migrant bird species.
Madikwe Hills Game Lodge is our destination, and we drive from Polokwane off-road and through fascinating rural areas towards Derdepoort Gate, (noting diverse eating/drinking places such as this quaint place, jakkalsgat pub and grill….!)
My large oil painting of wild dogs has hung in the dining area of this stunning lodge for many years, and this is the first time I get to visit it!…

Lin Barrie painting on display at Madikwe hills Game Lodge

Arriving late afternoon Friday  25th January, we are treated to a sudden hailstorm mixed with sunshine from the dip pool and deck of our luxury lodge.
Large hailstones add atmosphere to the sunset and panache to our whisky sundowner…
what a room!

bathtub with a view…

sundowner…dip pool and hailstones!

Within the elegant lodge (which even has a dedicated wine room, filled with Painted Wolf Wines!), we later meet up with Leonore, a friend from way back in the days when we hosted a  Boundless and Kingsley Holgate expedition.
elegant interiors, tasteful decor, embrace a few more of my paintings…such as these in the library/video room of the lodge…

interior inspiration

Swopped some of my art for our stay in this glorious luxury safari destination, and left these three pieces below on consignment, for sale in the gorgeous gift shop curated by leonore.

Painted Wolf Hunt, acrylic on loose canvas, 53 x 97 cm

Painted Wolf Pep Rally, acrylic on loose canvas, 53 x 97 cm

Painted Wolf Rest, acrylic on loose canvas, 53 x 97 cm

 

the gift shop

Saturday 26th January

We see a Porcupine before dawn on an early morning game drive,

Porcupine by Lin Barrie

wildebeests galore,

Wildebeeste horns

Large and small varieties of dung beetles busily processing the vast quantities of dung from the many mammals and multitudinous elephants,

Busy Busy dung beetles…

Madikwe has, to understate it, an abundance of elephants. One of the many elephants’ babies mock charges us with shrill squeals and shakes of his little head and spaghetti trunk, then quickly beats a retreat behind the ample rear of his mum…

a feisty baby hightails it after shouting at our safari vehicle…

A sleeping white rhino, new birds such as the Ant-eating Chat, fascinating ground squirrels with sunbrella tails and attitude posing near the entrances to their complex and interlinked underground burrows, add huge interest to our game drives. A highlight for me- we visit six wild dogs in the Boma,

the boma

but do not get out of the vehicle or approach them, so as not to unnecessarily habituate them to humans…. they are waiting to be released shortly into the madikwe reserve -three females from the local pack  and three males imported.
Beautiful animals…
IMG_4092 copy

About wineandwilddogs

Lin Barrie The Save Valley Conservancy stretches along the upper reaches of the great Save River in the south east of Zimbabwe. The Gonarezhou National Park laps against the southern banks of the Save River and between these two nestles the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve. These three celebrated wildlife areas form part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, (GLTFCA)- a unique wilderness jewel which is home to the “Big Five” (endangered Black and White rhinos, elephants, buffalo, lion, leopard) and the ”Little Six” (Klipspringer, Suni, Duiker, Steenbok, Sharpe's Grysbok and Oribi). Endangered African wild dogs, Cheetah, Brown hyena, Bat-eared foxes and a host of special birds and plants contribute to the immense variety of this ecosystem. Communities around the GLTFCA contribute to innovative partnerships with National Parks and the private sector, forming a sound base on which to manage social, economic and environmental issues. This is home to artist and writer Lin Barrie and her life partner, conservationist Clive Stockil. Expressing her hopes, fears and love for this special ecosystem with oil paints on canvas, Lin Barrie believes that the essence of a landscape, person or animal, can only truly be captured by direct observation. Lin Barrie states: “Through my art, and my writing, I feel an intimate connection with the natural world, and from my extensive field sketches of wild animals, people and landscapes, I create larger works on canvas. Lin's work is in various public and private collections in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia, England, Canada, Sweden and the United States of America. She is represented by galleries in South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Kenya and Florida, USA.
This entry was posted in abstract art, adventure travel, Africa, African flora, African Safari, African wild dogs, african wildlife, amphibians, animal rights, anti poaching, art, art collaboration, art exhibition, beauty, bio diversity, birding, boutique hotels, bush camps, clive stockil, conservation, cooking, dogs, eco-tourism, elephants, endangered species, food, interior decor, interior design, landscape, lions, Madikwe, Painted Dogs, painted Dogs, Painted Wolf Foundation, Painted Wolf Wines, painted wolves, predators, prey, rhinos, safari, travel, wild dogs, wine, wolves and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Madikwe and Porcupines: African Wild Dogs and Lin Barrie Art

  1. Pingback: Uppington on the Orange River; Vineyards and Sultanas… | wineandwilddogs

  2. Hannes says:

    Dear Lin,

    Thank you very much for your beautiful blog! It was such a privilege to meet you and to have you here at Madikwe Hills! Your big wild dog painting has always been a big topic of discussion during dinners!

    We hope to see you again soon.

    Madikwe Hills

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