New 2021 Collection: Giraffe in Pen and Ink.

Greetings from my studio.

As the season changes and we move to the end of 2021, I’d like to share some of my new work and thoughts to close out the year.

Since the dawn of mankind, humans have created representations of animals in various artforms, from the cave walls of the southern African bushman to the tombs of the pharaohs. This highlights how important animals have been throughout history, not only to our survival, but how they have fired our imaginations, held our fascinations, and had great importance in our storytelling and expressions of creativity.

I have chosen to illustrate the Giraffe in my latest series of drawings because of my personal fascination with these peculiarly proportioned creatures. Giraffe forms have been depicted in art over centuries from the Dabous Giraffes petroglyphs in the Aïr Mountains of Niger to pharaonic tombs dating to the reign of Amenhotep II. The Giraffe has captivated humankind for millennia.

Zarafah.

Pen and ink on paper, 53.25 x 42.75 inches

The earliest known origins of the word Giraffe come from the Arabic word “zarafah.” History tells of the first Giraffe shipped from Alexandria to Rome by Caesar in 46 BC to be exhibited at the Roman games. This was the first Giraffe in Europe. Later, Giraffe assumed places of prominence in the menageries of emperors and kings as this megafauna was the epitome of exoticism. They were given as diplomatic gifts to appease enemies and flaunt extravagant wealth. Dominating such a large creature as the Giraffe was an appearance of strength. Imagine the electrifying awe of seeing a 17-foot wild beast leashed by men on display in the southern European landscape. “Giraffemania” and the Medici Giraffe inspired fashion and art and brought representations of the Giraffe into popular culture.

Qilin.

Pen and ink on paper, 60 x 40 inches

In 1414, the first Giraffe arrived in Beijing and was presented to Emperor Yongle by Admiral Zheng He, a gift from the King of Bengal and Sultan of Malindi. As the Giraffe was unknown to China at the time, Confucian scholars mistook it for the qilin, a mythical creature in the realm of the dragon and presented to the emperor as such. It is said to have been the pride of his menagerie and was the only one of his animals he commissioned to be painted. A second Giraffe would arrive a year later, but by 1433 China entered a period of isolationism and it is not known what became of the Emperor’s Giraffe. I often think of this story, this marvelous and peculiar creature arriving by Chinese treasure ship from a far-off land. Possessing this mythical creature was a symbol of power and good fortune for the emperor and people of the Middle Kingdom. Having grown up on safari with my family, I have many fond memories of Giraffe and how they move with such ease across the African bushveld like ships upon the ocean. No matter how many times I see Giraffe I am moved and captivated.  

Camelopards

Pen and ink on paper, 45 x 64 inches

An archaic English name for Giraffe is Camelopard, a derivative of the Latin Camelopardalis, which describes its features – an amalgamation of a long-necked hooved camel with the striking coat of a leopard.  The curiosity and appeal of these creatures comes from their extraordinary anatomical proportions and their deceptively gentle nature. In these large pen and ink drawings, I have chosen to highlight their remarkable anatomy, not only because it is pleasing to the eye and translates well in ink, but also to celebrate the Giraffe’s quizzical perfection. Giraffe, which are endemic to the African continent, have survived and thrived across sub-Sahara in harsh environments such as the Kalahari in Botswana and the arid deserts of northern Namibia. In more recent years, they have come under threat from habitat loss, fragmentation of their natural migration routes, and illegal hunting. Although the Giraffe has not had the same prominence as Elephant in global conservation initiatives, dedicated people are doing great work to protect them. Long may these beautiful bovids wander our wild spaces.

Follow the leader

Pen and ink on paper, 53.25 x 38.25 inches

“Follow the leader” is a continuation of my 2020 Elephant collection. As with all my pen and ink drawings, it is a study of and appreciation for the anatomy and texture of these wondrous animals as well as an expression of contrasting light and shadow.  This distinctive composition represents the importance of young Elephants following and mimicking wiser adults. Early imprinting of behavior in Elephant is critical for their generational success. Increasing habitat encroachment, population pressures, and ecosystem changes highlight the greater need for seasoned matriarchal leadership in wild herds. As I write this, I have a heightened awareness of this parallel in our own lives as Jennifer and I are expecting our first child in March 2022. The next adventure awaits us, and it is sure to be the best one yet.

Several of these drawings are available for purchase. Please contact me if you would like more information.

Warm regards,

Brennan Seward

Elephants on the easel.

Greetings from my studio in California.

This year I have been developing a new body of work focused on the African Elephant, and this extraordinary time we are living through has allowed me to reflect upon the pronounced imbalance in our global ecosystem.

Amidst the Covid-19 lockdowns my drawing ‘Generational Transfer’ comes to mind. I think of the importance of passing on not only knowledge and love to the next generation to navigate through a precarious existence, but the importance of passing on a world that is in better condition than we found it. 

‘GENERATIONAL TRANSFER’ 36 X 52 INCHES

I chose to focus on the elephant for my most recent body of work as it is an animal that has played a significant role in my life. These pen and ink drawings were inspired from a recent safari to Mana Pools National Park in the Zambezi Valley in 2019. The Zambezi valley holds a special place in my heart as I have been camping on the banks of the river since I was a young boy.  

‘BOSWELL’ 38.5 X 26.5 INCHES

Mana Pools National Park is home to an iconic bull elephant called Boswell. He has learnt a unique technique of standing on his hind quarters to reach up into the colossal Albida trees to gather pods with his trunk when they are fruiting. Most elephants would wait for the pods to dry and fall, or for the baboons to shake them to the ground, but Boswell is not that patient. When he was a young bull, while crossing a stretch of water, a crocodile snuck up behind him and bit off the end of his tail, hence he has no tail hair.

‘ARTIST’S TROPHY’ 52 X 36 INCHES

Growing up in a family-run safari business, I came to observe and understand animals and their anatomy from an early age. My father taught us to be naturalists, studying everything from the ant to the elephant. Elephants are extraordinary creatures and I feel humbled by their presence. This drawing is my artistic interpretation of a hunter’s trophy. It is my homage to the elephant’s beauty and intelligence.

‘COLOSSUS’ 32 X48 INCHES

I have always admired the ‘Colossus’ that is the Elephant. The size of these great beasts, especially the large tuskers is truly awe-inspiring when on foot and up close. In contrast, I am impressed in the way they can be dwarfed by the flora around them, the brush and towering trees that envelope them. I chose to depict this large tusker amongst this cathedral of trees to represent his immense size in his natural habitat, as he is amongst giants even larger than himself.  It makes me contemplate the mere speck that I am in this universe. I recently stood at the base of a giant sequoia tree 210 feet tall and 2400 years old in California. It put into perspective how insignificant we as individuals truly are, and how childlike our concept of time is when measured against the might of such ancient, glorious organisms.

‘UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL’ 36.5 X 34 INCHES

My earliest memories are of family camping trips to the Zambezi river, my family making yearly pilgrimages there. We would camp on the river’s edge, fish all day, and share stories around the fire at night. I have a fond memory as a young boy of my mother teaching me to observe nature and its intimate details. A large elephant entered our camp silently which caught us off guard.  In her instinct to protect me my mother drew me up in her arms as she swiftly moved us behind a large mahogany tree, creating a barrier between us and the elephant.  Through a fork in the tree she encouraged me to look closely, to see all the wrinkles, observe the eyelashes of the elephant, and to listen to the air move in his trunk and the rumble from his belly.  ‘Up close and personal’ is directly inspired by this memory. I will always be grateful for being taught how to look closer and see beyond.

I yearn to get back into the bush soon, to smell the scent of the first rains on the dry dirt roads and hear the call of the hippo across the water.  Zimbabwe is reopening in October. Hopefully, we will be back in 2021.

Pricing for drawings in this collection are available upon request. For information on prints, or to commission a drawing, please email me at brennanseward@gmail.com

Drawings

Greetings from Bangkok.

I have been drawn to creating massive pieces this year; the three pieces I describe below are some of the largest I have done to date. I recently returned from a trip to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India to research the Bengal tiger for more large format pieces, which I look forward to sharing soon.

‘Familial wrinkles’ (32.5 x 46.5 inches) - This pen and ink drawing was first conceived at a waterhole in northwestern Zimbabwe in October of 2016. October is the hot dry season in Zimbabwe and the scarcity of water is ever more present at this time of year. In a matter of several hours we watched over a thousand elephant coming in waves to quench their thirst.  I wanted to capture the feeling of these families of elephant, the density of bodies, their wet, shiny skin, and contrasting light at this time of day. It is an extraordinary experience to witness these multitudes of animals in one place, but one that is happening because of a massive imbalance in the ecosystem resulting from poor wildlife management in the Zimbabwean national parks. This continuous cycle leads to destruction of natural habit and animal starvation not only for elephant but it has a knock-on effect for all other species in this region. It makes me question what the future holds for our wild spaces and hope we can find a solution to this problem soon.

‘Walking the line’ (33.5 x 48.5 inches) - This pen and ink was inspired by the woodcut, Rhinoceros created by Albrecht Durer in 1515. He had never seen a Rhinoceros but had heard of one in the Port of Lisbon being gifted from the King of Portugal to Pope Leo X. It was the first known Rhinoceros in Europe. It died soon after as the ship carrying it sunk during a storm at sea. I have often thought about how bizarre such a creature must have been as seen for the first time. In the summer of 2016 I happened to take my niece and nephew to a zoo in Erie, Pennsylvania and was confronted by a huge Rhinoceros in the last place one should see a Rhino. I understand the educational benefits of zoos as well as important scientific research conducted there but perhaps it's the naturalist part of me that would rather see an animal die a good death in nature than live in captivity.

The title “Walking the line” encapsulates my contemplation on the precarious place the Rhinoceros is in today. Since before the age of Durer and modern zoos, humans have had the desire to have dominion over the natural world and exhibit exotic animals. Today, due to poaching and human encroachment, Rhinos and other endangered species walk the line between spectacle and wild animal. I created this piece with all of these thoughts being considered as well as thinking how fortunate I have been to grow up in the wild places of Africa with these amazing creatures.

‘Cameliopardilus’ (64 X 38 inches) - The title for this drawing is taken from the scientific naming of the Giraffe derived from ancient Greek, meaning Camel leopard. This is the largest drawing I have done to date. The magnificent line the giraffe cuts in the open African sky has always captivated me. In the conventional imagination the giraffe’s neck is long and straight, but the actual contours of the neck have beautiful curves and twists as it surveys its surrounds, stretching and feeding. It is no wonder then our forefathers were taken by the Cameliopardilus and named a constellation of 32 stars in the northern hemisphere for the shape this group of stars cuts in the night’s sky. For this work I have found inspiration from 17th & 18th century screen paintings of Japanese cranes. I see an uncanny similarity between the neck and head of the giraffe and the profiles of the cranes long curved necks and beaks. The simplicity of composition in this drawing is borrowed from these Japanese masters who believed less is often more.

Best Wishes

Brennan Seward