David Shepherd

David Shepherd's Amboseli is a testament to the artist’s lifelong devotion to African wildlife. During his early career, the British Royal Air Force invited Shepherd to Kenya to paint local fauna. As Shepherd explained, the opportunity to observe “the beauty and tranquility… of wildlife in its natural environment" had a profound creative effect. "The very enormity of it all brings man down to size…. [and] that is why I so vividly remember that first occasion when I saw those elephants at Amboseli.”¹ From this early experience, Shepherd continued to develop methods to study and visualize the unique power and spirit of the mighty elephant. Because canvases, easels and oil paints are often ruined by tumultuous weather, rough transit, or uncooperative animal models, Shepherd shot hundreds of photographs of wildlife and their environment. This allowed for detailed and realistic studies of animal musculature, skin texture, and movement, while also providing the artist time to reflect on the emotional response inspired by these encounters. In the present work, the elephants’ varying stances, stretched trunks, and imposing auras are informed by Shepherd's early expeditions to Africa where, as he explained, he found himself “standing, walking, and laughing within a few feet of these magnificent animals…On one occasion, I was just five feet away from a huge bull, and he accidentally knocked me with his trunk---it winded me momentarily, because a blow from the trunk of an elephant is no joke! But he meant me no harm.”² The setting of the present work and others by the artist is Amboseli National Park, in Kajiado County Kenya. One of the best wildlife viewing areas in the world, the park is particularly famous as an ideal place for an up-close view of free-ranging elephants. Fittingly, Shepherd’s panoramic composition of elephants, zebras, and other animals set against Mount Kilamanjaro advocates for a respect for wildlife and their habitat. In the same spirit, Shepherd gained world renown for his conservationist efforts. Since its creation, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) has given valuable grants to save critically endangered animals in their wild habitat and to benefit the local people who share their environment. 

¹ David Shepherd: An Artist in Conservation, p. 9.

² David Shepherd: An Artist in Conservation, p. 10.