Safari Series

2024

Jonathan Cooper, Park Walk Gallery, 20 Park Walk, London SW10 0AQ
16th October – 9th November 2024

Jonathan Cooper, London

Safari Series Art Residency

Perched high up on a rock wrapped in a Shuka blanket armed with a steaming hot cup of Kenyan coffee and mandazi, the darkness and cold begins to subside. A horizontal slither of orange appears and as the minutes go by this transforms into a kaleidoscope of colours, pinks, reds, oranges and hues of blue. Then the glorious golden sun rises, illuminating what transpires to be a vast landscape below. At first it’s just a dense mass but gradually shapes appear with long shadows. There are so many trees, different shapes and sizes, a watering hole becomes apparent with its glistening surface and animals begin to appear from the shadows. There’s a herd of elephants grazing, (they feed for 16 hours a day). To the left there’s a herd of impala looking slightly agitated, and quite rightly because over to the very far left there’s a leopard stealthily and silently moving across. This is all played out under the vista of the mighty Mount Kenya with its splendid white caps.

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day.

My latest collection of paintings is inspired by an incredible three month art residency staying at the Safari Series camp in the foothills of Mount Kenya. It was wonderful to see an abundance of wildlife everyday and also to witness the transformation of the Lolldaiga Hills which, upon arrival were completely parched. One month in and El Nino arrived, torrential downpours turned the landscape into a quagmire of terracotta mud. And then the sun came out, over the next few weeks it turned lush green.

It’s not often you get to drop out of your own life for three months and live in a house made of mud! I saw an advert for this art residency and immediately applied. I hadn’t been to Kenya before but everyone I spoke to said it seeps into your soul and it certainly has mine. To be in such a beautiful place with incredible scenery and wildlife but it was also the people I met. In return for being able to stay in the camp, I was asked to help hostess, this was made a joy by the wonderful staff who were so welcoming, two amazing guides who were so generous in sharing their knowledge (and some hair raising stories!). I loved meeting all the guests, anyone who chooses to look at nature for their holiday is a winner! I also have to give a huge special thanks to Ed and Moon Hough for this amazing opportunity. They are a very enterprising young couple who have set up this camp with sustainability very much to the fore. Indeed they donate 100 per cent of its profits to conservation, communities and ecological research in its surrounding region.

Perched high up on a rock wrapped in a Shuka blanket armed this time with a gin and tonic with delicious bitings, the darkness and cold begins to take hold. As the sun goes down silhouettes appear along the skyline, giraffes, elephants and many others against the glowing orange backdrop. This all fades to black but not for long…a blanket of stars splatter across the sky and the moon rises, it could be a slither or bright, full and shining.

And the night makes way for a new dawn.