We came across a dramatic rocky outcrop scene in the Kruger National park that I thought would make a fascinating unusual oil painting. 

Continuing our trip through the park:

But before coming across that rocky outcrop, our daughter pointed out a… 

Southern Yellow billed Hornbill: 

The hornbill was sitting high up in tree, cool as can be, looking very pleased with himself! Can you see him eyeing us?!

You find them in dry bushvelt (bushland) and savanna woodlands. They make a wuk, wuk, wukwukak, wukwukak call that crescendos and then fades away. 

Often two Hornbill birds call simultaneously with opening wings and head bowing movement. Like they are trying to get your undivided attention! When they hop, it looks so comical and cheeky you want to laugh at their frolics.  

It usually feeds on insects on the ground. So it sits up in a tree to spy for insects that could possibly in the grass below on the ground. 

Driving along we stopped the car because we spied… 

A strange rocky outcrop:

During winter we often get grass fires in South Africa. Because the spring rains were late, when we went to Kruger National Park in early September, parts of the park still had burnt-out blackened sooty areas.  

I’m telling you this, so you’ll understand why this painting looks so black and grey without any grass. 

When I took the photo of it, at the time of our trip, I thought the rock formation looked dramatic and wondered how it would be if I painted it. 

I must say it wasn’t so easy to paint. Maybe because I was concerned it was such a dismal black and grey painting and perhaps not a painting anyone would like to have hanging on their walls back home! 

But it’s typical of the rocks that leopards would choose to perch on top and survey the countryside for possible prey. 

Here is a leopard oil painting: 

Afraid it isn’t the same rock outcrop as my painting above. But I’m showing you how leopards like stretching out on high rocks and survey their hunting grounds. 

I painted it some time back. 

The size is .810 x .606m and on stretchers. It’s a made up scene, put together especially for those people who love wildlife paintings. But I think it was more to satisfy my desire to paint a leopard on a rock! 

In the northern eastern part of South Africa there are a lot of thorn Acacia trees and bushes. Anyway I think that’s the name of the trees. It seemed only fitting that I would put one in the background and give the leopard a little shade. I wanted the leopard to look restful and contented. 

1. As usual I blocked in the main shapes in the composition and then added the details as I worked up the painting.  
2. To get that rocky texture of the rock, I used a palette knife here and there (not thickly). 
3. And then filled in the dark cracks and shadows, to give the rocks shape and dimension.  
4. The final touch was to into-play the colours to get just the right atmospheric pleasing ambiance. 

Hope you enjoyed having these paintings in my blogs. Wherever possible I fit them in to hype-up my travel blogs.