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5/31/2020

The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust, a cheetah can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in only three seconds. Before unleashing their speed, cheetahs use exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey—especially antelope and hares. This big cat is a daylight hunter that benefits from stealthy movement and a distinctive spotted coat that allows it to blend easily into high, dry grasses. Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa. Interestingly, the cheetah is the only big cat which doesn't roar.

Browse through my online gallery for more images of African animals and birds, botanical studies and
detailed images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.

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Crowned Crane

5/17/2020

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Gray crowned cranes are every bit as majestic as their name suggests. One of 15 species of crane, these long-legged birds have gray bodies, white wings with brown and gold feathers, white cheeks, and bright red gular sacs underneath their chins. Most strikingly, a spray of stiff golden feathers forms a crown around their heads.

Browse through my online gallery for more images of African animals and birds, botanical studies and
detailed images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.

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Bird of Paradise - The Strelitzia Reginae

5/10/2020

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In full flower here now, the Strelitzia reginae is a well-known South African plant, identifiable by its striking colours and unique shape. Strelitzia reginae is also known as the bird of paradise (resembling the colours and shape of an exotic bird), the crane flower and the orange strelitzia.

The vivid orange and purple flowers are large, hardy and spiked. This beautiful flower has made this one of the most popular plants in South Africa, and it can be found flanking the major national roads and in gardens all over the country.

South Africa is the only country in the world in which Strelitzia reginae occurs naturally. They are found in abundance from the KwaZulu-Natal province on the east coast, throughout the Eastern Cape and in Cape Town and the Western Cape.

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Pop over to my online gallery for more botanical images as well as images of African animals and birds,
together with iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.

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An Image of Cape Town Harbour

5/3/2020

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I was delighted to be asked for my permission to include this image, entitled 'Smoke Break', in the latest edition of the Platinum Creative Arts Grade 9 Learning Book which is due to be published by Pearson Press South Africa later in the year.

I completed the original scratchboard work in 2011 which depicts a typical scene from the past at Table Bay Harbour in Cape Town.

Table Bay Harbour traces its roots back to 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company established a supply station there. A vicious storm in 1858 saw 30 ships blown ashore and wrecked, with huge loss of life. Lloyd's of London declined all further insurance on ships in Table Bay in winter, resulting in the British Colonial Government starting the construction, in 1860, of the first breakwater.

This developed into the Victoria and Alfred Basin, the first safe harbour. There has been extensive expansion since then and today the V&A Waterfront is a premier tourist attraction.

Visit my online gallery for more images of Cape Town and surrounds, its people, buildings, birds, animals and plant life.

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Here's looking at you!

Crowned Crane

Bird of Paradise - The Strelitzia Reginae

An Image of Cape Town Harbour

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