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“With no remains of a kill to be seen,” recounts artist Guy Combes, “it took me a while to figure out what had happened here before I arrived. The beautiful female leopard perched precariously in the fork of a boscia tree-for which the Maasai Mara is famous-looked like she had either just fed or was expecting cubs and three hyenas circled its base. My conclusion was that she had successfully hunted in the early dawn, managed to drag her quarry into the tree, partially fed, but then lost the remainder of her prey to the hyenas. Leopards and hyenas are both fearsome predators, but if outnumbered a leopard is far better off retreating to safety. The leopard’s phenomenal ability to climb trees is essential, not only for keeping prey away from others, but also to reach sanctuary when faced with danger. The hyenas finally lost interest and moved away, allowing this leopard to descend and slink off to a nearby ravine.”
Guy is fresh off his “Old World-New World” Joint Exhibition (with Greenwich Workshop artist Andrew Denman) at Nature in Art Museum in the United Kingdom. He is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists, Artists for Conservation and last year was the first ever winner of the International Artists Magazine wildlife competition.
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Guy Combes was born in Kenya in 1971, the son of artist Simon Combes.
After studying in Kenya for several years he moved to the United Kingdom to
continue his education. While in school he developed an interest in visual
art. He studied at art college in Cheltenham, then at the Inchbald School of
Design.
After a short stint as a consultant, Guy diverted his attentions to
the catering and licensing trade while painting commissions and design work.
Guy is now based in Kenya, where he manages tourist lodges and
continues to paint commissions and works for exhibition. In November 2006 he
began a program as artist-in-residence at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in
Oradell, New Jersey.
His current interests are the history and culture of the Swahili coast
of Africa and the diverse wildlife of Kenya. Throughout 2006 Guy visited
Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe and the United States and will include
observations from these trips in his portfolio.
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