Young Explorers

After the great satisfaction of making the big lion painting, "The Babysitter," I couldn’t resist making something with more lion cubs. Whether cat babies are from house cats or wild cats, they are irresistible. They all behave the same way and have the same funny games. Although being born to kill, they are among the cutest things I know. I can watch them for hours, if not for days. A good observer will see that the games of the cubs are practice for hunting and killing.

The two cubs in my painting are part of a pride that we followed a full day in the Okavango in Botswana. When the parents were resting, the cubs constantly explored the surrounding area. It is great as a human being to witness such scenes. As an artist, one’s mind gets loaded with ideas for paintings. In "The Babysitter," all the cubs settled down, tired of playing.

The two in this painting are ready to start new games, but are surprised that you, the viewer, are watching them. When one paints animals that look at you, the painting has a special charm. The eye-to-eye contact makes the painting more attractive.

One important element in the painting is the contrasting gray of the tree in the background. The viewers will find many colors in this “gray” bark. It shows my passion for texture and harmony of color.