In African Skies

When I was in Africa volunteering on the rhino operation with AWARE Trust. One of my most memorable moments was flying in the helicopter over an incredible landscape. Immediately my mind goes to those beautiful panoramic shots on BBC Planet Earth. From above, the wild that is Africa, takes a totally different personal view. My time was spent inside one of the four wheel drive trucks pursuing the rhino after it was darted by the wildlife vets. But the time I had in the air was incredible. I thought I would share some of these moments.

In the first photo below if you look closely, a female ostrich protects its nest. About 40 minutes before I took this pic, the rhino, we were perusing was heading straight to the nest. But to our surprise motherhood kicked in and the female ostrich stood her ground. In front of a charging rhino! The rhino went around and continued running to evade us.

I've also included one of the videos that we shot at the bottom of this page. Enjoy the summer. Get outdoors and create!

Manu

  Rhino Operation with AWARE Trust Video Link  

Art Explorers and Gnomon Team Up

Gnomon School of Visual Effects and Art Explorers have teamed up for a great cause! With both of us having like minds and passions that strive in the same direction, it was inevitable.

Both art and the environment are two things that we are very passionate about. Combining both education and art, we can make a huge difference. Not just to an individual but on a global scale. Our natural surrounding and wildlife inspire our artwork and the way we see things. Places like Machu Picchu, the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon all filled with natural beauty and inspiration. Places where unique wildlife and habitat are key. We are super excited about bringing you events that will not only be a wonderful place to learn art and make new friends. But an event that will help and benefit the wild kingdom and our environment. We would like to welcome Travis Bourbeau to the team. Travis and the AE team have been busy planning a way to make events make a difference together, so instead of just working together. We have brought him on board as our newest member. We want to make Art Explorers a community where we can share knowledge about art, passions and the OUTDOORS! We have some super exciting things in the works. Fun things, wild things!

A Big Cat Fascination...and Art :)

Young future King

I have a fascination with big cats. It all started with watching a television program called , Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom. An amazing television show that I blame for starting my passion for wildlife. But the big cats of the world have stuck out, everyone that knows me knows my passion for raptors or birds of prey. Folks sometimes confuse them thinking I'm talking about dinosaurs, like the time I went to an emergency room and told them I was grabbed by a raptor and the talons went thru my hand literally. The looks I got were priceless. Along with the mentions of Jurassic Park out in the hallways by nurses as they peeked in my room, that's another story.

Big cats also have an amazing presence. Their way of life. The amazing regal beauty and design. And that one thing that strikes a deep chord of art and passion. I have never worked with big cats but have several good friends that do and I'm very fortunate. I have two animals that rule my drawing domain. My favorite being the horse and a close second, big cats.  

Brothers in the world make a great team.

I went to Africa recently and worked with an amazing wildlife team doing rhino conservation. But while I was there I saw them. Lions. A very dear friend runs a lion park and is an amazing wildlife wrangler. He toured us in his SUV thru his place and saw the pride. He also has a pair of white lions that are separated from the pride. The wildlife there was just absolutely inspiring. The rock formations. The amazing prehistoric bush art just blew my mind. Apparently the wildlife there has been inspiring artist thru history. That actually made me tear up a bit.

I remember one of the times we were done working on a rhino we were gathering vet equipment and tools when I looked in the distance and saw a big gathering of vultures. I stopped and took in the moment. I've seen this countless times on documentaries but never in person. Not in Africa.  As I sat there a ranger walk by me and says, "it's the lions." He smiles and walks away. "The lions?"

Ball point tiger sketch. Video here

I grew up in West Texas and my family has a ranch in the Big Bend area where we have cowboyed going back to my great great grandfather. The area is home to one of my favorite big cats. The mountain lion. I have only seen one in my life there. When I was a very young boy of about 8 I was with my father in the mountains deer hunting when we came upon a cave in some rocks. Lion tracks everywhere and a deer foreleg still warm but with no meat left. My dad held me close to him and said, "lets get out of here and let me know if you see the cougar immediately." I was scared and excited at the same time! I remember wanting to take that bone with me because a mountain lion was chewing on it. What a great souvenir. I was already passionate about big cats. 

I remember how excited I was when I found out how to record national geographic or pbs documentaries. Now I could slow things down or maybe even pause the picture to draw from! It wasn't the greatest image to draw from but I learned. A lot. I never realized how big of an impact the film team of Dereck and Beverly Joubert would be in my life.  Joining the ranks of Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler. Thanks to their films, photographs and their Big Cat Initiative they continue to feed this crazy fascination of all big cats.  If you haven't seen their National Geographic work I recommend them highly. Eternal Enemies, Relentless Enemies and The Last Lions to name a few.

Butch. Video Here

As far as wildlife art went one man caught my attention early on. Bob Kuhn. This was all thanks to a magazine called Boys Life that I got as part of being a Cub Scout. He made my imagination go absolutely nuts. His paintings captured such life and adventure. An animal story in one painting. When I finally saw his sketches I was floored. I couldn't get enough of his artwork and I had a heck of a time finding it as a kid. His inspiration still lives with me to this day. I spoke to him once and hoped to meet him at a gallery show in Arizona but he passed away. I did finally see his work recently at his latest traveling exhibit. Every time I'm out flying my hawk in the woods I see what I call a Bob Kuhn moment. And it makes me smile. His love for animals and art shows thru his work.  Now with the internet we can all find our favorite artists and even possibly contact them. 

Tiger Drawing Video Here

Big cats have helped shape me into loving to draw and paint. Traveling whether to another country or just visiting a zoo or sanctuary is a must. Life is an amazing teacher. With lessons that are both amazing and sometimes hard but it's our passion that keeps us going thru "difficult terrains." Our journeys also lead to new people and amazing friends. Fellow Art Explorer, Terryl Whitlatch and I spend countless hours discussing talons, horse hoof anatomy, sighthounds, camels you name it and we have discussed it. We even have a project we are playing with dealing the animal world.

Cheetah Doodle with Neocolors

We live in a society where we don't get outside enough. I think it's keen for people to step outside. It feeds the human spirit. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or not. Life is better outside. Feed your passion, enjoy nature and the beauty it has to offer your soul.

Manny

Exploring the Arabian Desert and Sharing a Passion (or two)

Art Exploring (and hawking the Arabian desert)

For those of you that know me, you know how passionate I am about animals and wildlife. Those who know me very well know my love for raptors and falconry.  Falconry can be defined as the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor. To me personally its a passion, almost as much as art, not quite , but a close second.

Getting to mix the two has been a dream. I have traveled the world and have met so many different international falconers, that I now call friends and family.  Much like the art community but smaller, we all know one another and share our lessons and information with each other. The parallels are actually amazingly similar. It is an art form and some do it better than others. Like artists, some falconers are well known and others up and coming.

This year I went in attendance with the North American Falconers Association representatives to The United Arab Emirates to Abu Dhabi. I brought some artwork, my sketchbook supplies and a Native American flute. I was prepared to see an amazing culture and hopefully share some as well. The first part of the trip was an amazing desert camp in the beautiful dunes. A tent city was set up along with huge tent facilities for speakers and demonstrations. Falconers from every corner of the world together to share the same passion.

Houbara bustard

              

We hunted the deserts on camel back with falcons pursuing a bird called a houbara bustard. A beautiful bird that very much looks like a Terryl Whitlatch concept and put together by Jim Hensons Creature shop.

The flights were amazing and the experience unforgettable. Pinching myself and wondering if I was dreaming.

At night, the campfires burned, music played, beautiful Bedouin tents were up to enjoy all of the cultural commodities. Dates, Arabic coffee (I am not a coffee drinker. Only in Arabia ), hot teas, fruits and great food. Their hospitality was amazing. One of the nights I shared dinner with the Arabian falconers in their own tent, it consisted of the houbaras that were captured with the falcons that day.

I met some very talented artist/falconers from Belgium, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and other countries. The motivation for both art and falconry was irresistible.

A gift to a very gracious friend in the UAE

I brought a sketchbook and drew some, not as much as I would have liked too, but I did take pics.

Its amazing what passion brings when you follow your path of what inspires and drives you. In times you will be surprised where it might lead you.

In closing I did share another thing I absolutely cherish and is very close to me, the Native American flute. This particular flute belonged to my friend and brother, Robert Mirabal. I was honored to have played at the festival everyday, something that was not planned, again, where one things leads to another. I played as the United States Falconers were on the field or stage I should say and again in closing the entire ceremony with very important audience members of the UAE.

I could keep going on and on about the people and experiences , but I thought I would share just a small part with you all. Thru art I have made the most amazing friends and families worldwide.

Where has art lead you?

Whom have you met?

What have you learned?

I hope your journeys are motivating experiences that will fuel your art and passion. Look around you. We live in an amazing place.

Manny

"Just as art informs art and always refers back to itself, we as artists are a collective whole whose dreams circle back on themselves in the sense that, ultimately. I believe true artists want nothing more than the freedom to do their art. All obstacles in our way are just the tolls we pay on our separate journeys. We owe it to ourselves to make the most out of the help we're given; and we owe it to our art to stay positive, aim high and ket nothing stop us from our goals."

Bobby Chiu

Sketching hawks

gyr sketch

Mongolian Eagler

Quick Camel doodle

Native American Flute 

Inspiration

I thought we would share this video that Terryl Whitlatch found recently on her trip to Texas. It has been around for a while and is produced by the wonderful people at BBC narrated by one of my heroes Sir David Attenborough. We find it quite inspirational and beautiful. This is what motivates us at Art Explorers.  We hope it does the same for you too, whether to brighten your day or to create something ... Enjoy

Click on the Picture above or HERE

Team AE 

The AWARE Trust

I thought I would take the time and introduce the great organization I am volunteering at in Zimbabwe. AWARE is the only veterinary conservation trust in Zimbabwe run by veterinarians, focusing on the welfare of wildlife and conservation of wildlife habitats.  The Trust provides expert veterinary treatment and rehabilitation to sick or injured ownerless wild animals on a pro bono basis, especially where these animals have suffered at the hand of man. This may include preventative treatment of wild animals at risk from disease, or pre-emptive rehabilitation of wild animals threatened by humans. 

Dr Lisa Marabini and Dr Keith Dutlow with Chief Ranger

In the lead are two great people whom I've  had the pleasure to work with, Dr Keith Dutlow and Dr Lisa Marabini.  They started AWARE Trust in 2004, the trustees were looking for independent funding to perform an important disease surveillance project. 

Keith is the Founder Trustee and Director of Operations, Keith was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1994 and became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons by examination in 1996.

He has worked extensively in small animal and mixed practices in the UK, Australia and Zimbabwe. Dr Keith Dutlow's introduction

to wildlife work came through a job as an ostrich vet in Zimbabwe. In 2001, he took a record breaking 2026 ostriches by ship from Spain to Brazil. He has been working with other wildlife species, in particular lion, cheetah, elephant, rhino, buffalo, hyena and small felids since 2004.

Lisa is the other Founder Trustee and Director of Operations, she was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1998 and became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons by examination in 1999. She has worked in small animal practices in Zimbabwe, Australia and the UK. Lisa has always been passionate about the conservation and welfare of wildlife. She obtained her private pilot’s license (PPL) for light aircraft in 1994 with a view to becoming a wildlife vet.

While I was there we had the privilege of working with Dr Erick Mutizhe and Dr Andy Garura, who are also wonderful vets that work for AWARE. I was there on an African Rhino Operation but they handles various projects.

Dr Andy Garura and Dr Erick Mutizhe

Dr Keith Dutlow removing horn and Dr Mutizhe monitoring vitals

Apart from seeing amazing scenery, animals and making new life long friends I was honored to take part in trying to help an animal that is in need of help. Help that we humans can offer. The hands on experience was incredible and Im hoping to take part next time this happens. If anything I hope that we have made a difference in the existence of the rhino. Here at Art Explorers, David Levy (VYLE), Thierry Doizon (barontieri), Kristy Tipton and myself (MANu)

Dr Lisa telling me. "Is that all the strength you got Manny?" :)

are all very passionate about what we do and how we can apply it to our other passions. The oceans, the forests our wildlife something that we all treasure and are thankful for everyday for who we are as people and as artists.

Baby Rhino being tagged and dehorned

Please visit awaretrust.org 

If you can donate, please do. If you have any questions send them my way. I hope you all are enjoying the African posts and promise more art exploring from digital brushes to tutorials! Feed your passions by going outside and creating!

Special thanks to Tracey and Chris Hugill, you guys are great! Team AWARE!! 

MANu