untamedartists

Some of you may know I got started on my obsession with cheetah last year when I donated my first piece to Safari West, who was doing a fundraiser for DeWildt Cheetah and Wildlife Sanctuary in So. Africa

well tomorrow, marks a year from that time, and this year I'm donating Vantage Point Giraffe. I also spoke with the director of Dewildt, and she said the portrait I sent them of Shaka the king cheetah sold recently for big bucks to a So Africa corporation, and since Shaka is a famous cheetah and many artists have done him I was especially happy when the director said I am the only one who ever captured his true spirit and the look in his eyes that is special to him. It's nice to hear such things, and makes me want to work to get even better.
Thanks for sharing this journey with me...
Vantage Point was my attempt to give one the feel of being up close and personal and being "seen" by the giraffe, instead of us looking from afar.
colleen

Your dedication to the study of the cheetah was amazing and inspiring to watch so hearing that you'd captured Shaka's true spirit is no surprise. The giraffe that you're donating this year is wonderful as well.

try this again, keeps kicking me off....Came across something interesting a few days ago, forget which book it was, oh yes, it was the dvd on drawing animals he said learn one animal really well, and it will be the basis for helping you do better on all of them...this was really true with the cheetah, and has spread to my other work, at least the mammals

Well done on the honour Colleen. I'm sure Shaka has been painted by many greats so this is very good news.

(But we know how good you are anyway )

thanks Patrick only you and few others know how hard I've worked, and I appreciate the support given over the last year...hard to belive that first cheetah painting, my first wildlife work, was only a year ago, it feels like longer:-)