Botswana

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Painting in Botswana at the Okavongo Delta this summer presented new challenges. The rapidly changing evening light, coupled with the threat of over-curious hippo, added a new immediacy to the paintings. The intensity of white light during the day had a bleaching effect on the landscape, but as the evenings drew in the atmosphere changed. The air cooled and the animals made their way down to the water – as they do every evening. The Botswana sun sets as a stunning red ball on the horizon, which is very difficult to capture as it looks slightly unreal. Turning from the canvas one evening I realised I’d been joined by an elephant bull, less than thirty meters away; quite magical.