Baboons, My New Love
Thursday, we were given a fascinating lecture by Dr. Swart about the history of baboons in South Africa. Being a nature enthusiast, I was instantly fascinated by baboons. They have had a rough history with the people of South Africa. Baboons, who have quite mischievous personalities, can cause havoc in farming communities. These incredibly intelligent creatures have recently seen an increase in numbers, due to successful conservation.
To my delight, I discovered that we would not only be hiking and exploring Cape Point the next day, but possibly be able to see baboons up close and personal. Our adventure in Cape Point did not disappoint! Upon our arrival we saw multiple baboons. They seemed to be indifferent to their proximity to humans and enjoyed exploring the gourmet selections of trash can foods.
The baboons inspired possibilities of art works I could produce, using these beautiful and handsome live models. After my hike at Cape Point, I was up close and personal with one male baboon and a mother with a baby. Safely keeping my distance and calmly waiting for the baboons to approach me, I was able to get not perfect, but decent shots.
From these shots, I have already generated two working idea sketches and the start to an oil painting. My models were perfect and very photogenic. In my work I hope to capture the mischievous nature of the baboon with a slight indifference to sharing their turf with humans.
I can not wait to see more wildlife and create further works of art.