Thinking about the leopard in my studio in London, the contrasts and contradictions between the urbane and the natural habitat of this carnivore became more evident.

In the West, it seems that this fantastic creature has been co opted by the heady glitz and glamour of the fashion world and commodified into a reality very different from it’s own.

Initially, I thought I should elaborate and comment on this idea by stylising and repeating the shape to echo the work of Gautier, Dolce, Muccia and friends……

 

 

However, somewhere in my heart, the African Bush beckoned.

 

 

Working on the idea of ‘marking’….whether on the animal itself or actual prints left in the sand, I marvelled at the splendour and variety of creation. I remembered times spent watching secretive leopards in their natural habitat. I realised that no stylisation, simplification or artfulness was appropriate for a work celebrating the splendour of such a magnificent cat.