Artwork Explained: “Mammals” & "A Quiet Morning"

The ‘Artwork Explained’ Blog series is where I share a bit of information behind some of my Artworks. This can include the mediums used, the incentive behind creating them, the story behind them or what was happening in my world during that time. I take caution in not explaining too much about what the artworks represent, as I would like to adhere to my belief that Art is always perceived uniquely to each individual.

MAMMALS

A QUIET MORNING

In 2017 I travelled on my own to Kathmandu, Nepal, on a volunteering basis to work with children. I spent four weeks working with the children in both a school and a Disability Rehabilitation Centre, and during my time there I had the fortune of participating in two excursions with the fellow volunteers; first to Pokhara- Nepal’s largest city situated on Phewa Lake where we went paragliding and paddled on a large riverbed to a small temple in the middle, and a week later we visited Chitwan- a wild and warm, humid district of Nepal, thick with a dense green landscape. I fell instantly in love with Chitwan and decided I would return there at the end of my volunteering program to travel around on my own.

As part of our excursion to Chitwan we went on a jungle safari in a Jeep-like vehicle, right into the heart of the rainforest where we saw deer, monkeys, a large Rhino, wild boar, many varieties of birds and so much more.

Here is an excerpt from my journal of the day that I saw what would later become my paintings I titled, “Mammals” and "A Quiet Morning"...

“We were up at 5:15am and had tea in the dining room before jumping in an open Jeep-like safari truck with a bright green tarp and drove out of the centre of Sauraha to the entrance to the jungle. We drove through a gate and stopped at a small hut where a few local people were sat- I’m assuming this was where we got our permits to enter the jungle.

We then drove straight into dense jungle with tall trees and a light haze from the morning air. It was a bumpy ride which made it hard to get good photos. We spotted many deer and a few birds, and it was lightly sprinkling with rain. I’ve always hated going out in nature in large groups- I prefer to be on my own or with one or two other people, any more than that feels like it loses some of its sacredness.

We drove on a pebbled road for a long time, before eventually coming out onto a clearing where we could see a vast landscape of grasslands with a a zig-zagging river and distant surrounding mountains. The haze from the light rain tinted everything in pastel purples, blues and greens, and no matter my efforts I just couldn’t get a photo to do it enough justice. Deer were wandering nervously and birds soared above. A wild black boar nibbled at the ground with a small black bird accompanying it- it looked like a scene out of The Lion King. Soon we were all back in the jungle getting soaked with rain. On my right we saw an elephant in the river- maybe 2km away- carrying two men with an umbrella atop. I got some nice photos of that.”

The serenity I experienced in that small moment was something that I felt needed sharing. The elephant moved so slowly and effortlessly through the water and the men simply sat there, allowing her to go at her pace. I don’t know what they were doing specifically- whether they had work to do, or if they were simply going for a leisurely stroll with her, but something about how man and beast- so vastly different- were peacefully united together in that moment, had me realize that while we as humans may believe ourselves to be immensely different to the creatures we share the world with, we are still creatures all the same.

Until next time, keep creating.

-Madeline x