When I was still working with watercolour, I loved painting scenes with lions. First of all because my astrological sign is that of Leo, the Lion. So this is like painting family members! But there is more to it. A good friend of mine is a guide at one of Africa’s safari parks. He sometimes sends me the most beautiful photographs and often they are just begging to be painted. It is the backstory that is most interesting to me.
For instance… did you know that the colour of the coat of a lion changes depending on where they live? Which means that in the yellow grasses of the savannah, their coat is a light dun shade. Whereas when they live in more heavily forested areas, their coat is a lot darker. It is all for the benefit of camouflage. Lions in open grass fields lie dead still, whilst stalking a prey. The prey, provided the lions are downwind of them, has no idea that danger is lurking. The lions, from afar, look like clumps of grass or rocks. That is what the above watercolour painting is depicting. This young lion is simply staring at his prey until they come within reach. Which can be a mere yard from where he is and chances are that he will bring home fresh dinner!
If you are interested in wild life and their routines, you will probably know that it is in fact the lioness and not the man of the ‘house’ that initiates most of the hunting. She is much better at it and often hunts in the company of other females. The male’s main task is to procreate with selected females and guard them against danger, mostly of ambitious other males that want to take over the herds.
When the females are done hunting and have eaten their fill, they often move to a body of water to drink as a group. It is when quenching their thirst that these animals are most vulnerable. After all, their heads are practically in the water, and even with their ears turning in all directions, they are blind to most of what is happening behind their backs. This is why there is always ONE female feline that plays the role of the look-out. You can easily spot her in my painting, because she is the only one looking right at you…
There, now you know a little bit more about these magnificent animals!
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