This painting was a commission I did for a Belgian family. They had been on safari in the Greater Kruger area of South Africa and had come across a large male lion. Their son took the photograph that provided the reference for the painting and as a surprise Christmas gift for him, his mother sent me the photo and asked me to do a painting. It was a large canvas, one metre by one and a half metres and the close cropped portrait made for a very dramatic image.

It looks like an old lion, his face is a bit scarred and scrapped and there is a patch of skin lifting off his nose. Small tufts of hair are missing below one eye. Clearly he’s had some adventures. A male lion’s life is not an easy one; he must band together with at least one other male, he must secure a pride area and constantly patrol and protect it, ensuring no rival males muscle in to his territory. It is often a short and fairly brutish life. Despite this, when you are in the presence of a large male lion you know you are in the presence of royalty. He exudes power and authority. And to be close to a lion when he roars, particularly at night, is a spine tingling experience that immediately takes you back ten thousand years to a time when the darkness held immense dangers. A lion’s roar can carry for many kilometres and the Maasai people of East Africa say that when he calls, the lion is bellowing, “Whose land is this? Whose land is this? Mine! Mine! Mine!”

This Fine Art print is from an original oils on canvas painting. Printed on 425 GSM Fine Art Archival Canvas and delivered rolled in a tube, ready for stretching or framing. Free worldwide shipping.

Limited Edition of 50 Fine Art Prints.