GUY COMBES - OCT. 2009

" HIGH HOPES "

50 s/n Giclee Canvas
24" x 19"
$450

 

This small herd of Rothschild giraffe is making its way across the Great Rift Valley as pelicans from Lake Elmenteita pass overhead. Less than 700 of the Rothschild giraffe are thought to remain in existence, possibly only 500. Their habitat is severely depleted and this giraffe subspecies can only be found in the wild in areas of Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, Nakuru National Park in Kenya and Soysambu Conservancy, also in Kenya. “At Soysambu we have a population of 60 that are breeding very successfully,” says artist Guy Combes. The Soysambu Conservancy is a non-profit organization whose goal is to preserve Africa’s Great Rift Valley ecosystem for the benefit of future generations of both man and animal.

 

 

 

GUY COMBES - FEB. 2009

" THE CRECHE - ELEPHANTS "

50 s/n Giclee Canvas 21" x 38" $550
15 s/n Giclee Canvas 30" x 40" $1200

The Aberdare National Park in Kenya, which ranges from 9 to 15,000 feet in elevation, is an enchanted island of montane forest on the edge of the Rift Valley. The elephants that inhabit this Eden are accustomed to their privacy since there is so much cover to protect them from the few people that visit the park. My inspiration for The Creche came from a recent visit. As I approached the herd, these three females immediately huddled around their young to protect them. The Aberdare National Park is a very special place for my own family, too. It is where we regularly gather to pay our respects to my grandparents, my uncle and my father, so the family theme seemed particularly appropriate to me.

 

 

 

 

 

GUY COMBES - JUNE 2008

" ROTHSCHILD GIRAFFE "

50 s/n Giclee Canvas
45" x 15"
$595

With only several hundred animals remaining, the Rothschild Giraffe, also known as the Baringo or Ugandan Giraffe, is the second-most endangered giraffe subspecies on earth. Only a handful locations on earth can boast a Rothschild Giraffe population, including Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya, where artist Guy Combes makes his home.

Combes’ father, artist Simon Combes, was instrumental in Lake Nakuru National Park for Rhino Rescue, which was responsible for fencing off the park to protect a newly introduced population of white and black rhinoceros.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Guy has been a part of committee action and has helped his stepmother, Kat, to continue this very important work. The results of Guy’s impressive efforts in the worlds of conservation and wildlife art will be featured in the Artists for Conservation Foundation’s first annual juried exhibition this coming September. The exhibition will be held at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, where Guy is currently Artist in Residence.

 

 

GUY COMBES - OCT. 2008

" MONARCH OF MWALUGANJE "

50 s/n Giclee Canvas
17" x 37"
$595

 

Mwaluganje was set up primarily as an elephant sanctuary to help with the devastating poaching in and around Tsavo National Park,” says artist Guy Combes. “It has been so successful that now the sanctuary has an overpopulation problem. This river is a popular refreshment stop for substantial family groups, but this large bull came down one morning and stepped out into the sunlight, complimented perfectly by the outline of the Shimba Hills behind. At the moment I am drawn more to images of Africa that don’t necessarily conform to people’s preconceived ideas of it. Most people visit when it’s dry, but my favorite time is during and after the rains, when the greens are more vivid, the animals have more food and seem much happier as a result.”

 

 

 

 

 

GUY COMBES - SEPT. 2007

" MBOGO MKUU - BUFFALO "

75 s/n Giclee Canvas
24" x 30"
$595

 

Guy Combes encountered this mbogo mkuu (chief buffalo) at a wildlife sanctuary near his home at Soysambu in Kenya. By the lake, among the reeds, is where the old buffalo bulls go when they’ve been ousted from the herd. “You sometimes see them in pairs or on their own,” says the artist, “but when they’ve been ejected from the herd they tend to be very defensive and aggressive.
“In addition to the attitude, the buffalo has evolved his fearsome horns. Buffalo are primary prey for lions and to bring down a full-grown buffalo usually takes up to three or four lionesses. To be able to fight off three or four large lions, a buffalo needs some ammunition.”