Artist Michael Swanepoel - donating artwork to help save lions

LionAid are pleased to announce that artist Michael Swanepoel has created two Fine Art Prints of his relief sculptures "Young Lion" and "Cubs at Play" and is donating a percentage of the money raised from these sales to LionAid.

Michael's passion for nature and wildlife conservation has led him to establish fundraising initiatives for various wildlife conservation groups. The aim is to incorporate the love of art with contribution to organisations who strive to preserve our fauna and flora heritage, without it, what would be left?

When choosing LionAid Michael said "I looked at various organisations before deciding upon LionAid. My attention was caught by the fact that LionAid are involved from the highest political levels down to the tribes people, it is evident that you embrace the cause holistically. Your global interest and support base lead me to believe that you are the right organisation to get involved in this fundraising project'.

Michael Swanepoel - Artist and Sculptor

Relief carving, one of the oldest and more complex art forms known to man is practiced by a handful of masters. Having studied this art form for more than two decades, Michael has perfected a unique technique which puts him in a class of his own. A life-long passion to create beautiful, three dimensional paintings resulted in the combination of two age old crafts, expressed in a new approach. The original works of art are relief sculptures, sculpted out of Jelutong (wood) and finished with artist's oils. The relief sculptures are scanned on a Cruse Scanner, the only one in South Africa, ensuring optimal reproduction of the carving depth. UltraChrome Digigraphic-certified pigment inks with unprecedented colour ranges and exceptional no-fade properties are used for printing Hahnemüle Museum Etching paper.

Michael has produced Fine Art Prints of two of his relief sculptures "Young Lion" and "Cubs at Play" and is donating a percentage from the sale of each of the prints to LionAid. Available in two sizes (Normal and Large) these beautiful Fine Art Prints can be purchased by clicking on the images of the prints below:

"Young Lion" - Commonly known as the "King of the Jungle", lions have been a source of inspiration for many a sculpture. With this piece Michael portrays both the power and the languor of a majestic cat, offset against the acacia, such an integral part of the South African Bushveld. Its seemingly soft and almost appealing face easily beguiles the beholder into a false sense of security.

"Cubs at Play" - They seem cute and cuddly when at play but the message in those piercing amber eyes clearly states: "Beware, I am dangerous." In choosing the cubs as a subject Michael was guided by his love of the King of the Jungle and completed a trio of works on lions. Another reason for sculpting this work was the thought of his two nephews, who emigrated to New Zealand with their parents at adolescent age, and how much they would have to learn and adapt. Similar to lion cubs we start out life with playing, thereby learning the basic skills we need to grow strong.