Dick Van Heerde
Savannah Patrol
Savannah Patrol was painted after Dick van Heerde's visit to the reserves of North and East Africa at the turn of the twenty-first century. During his tour, he witnessed these two cheetahs prowling the expansive grasslands and was careful and quiet enough to be able to sketch the entire scene in detail in pencil, later to develop the painting on canvas. The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal and can reach speeds in excess of 60mph. They often can be found hunting on the savannah in pairs. Unfortunately, the cheetah population has declined over the past few years, due partly to the commercial development of Africa and to the consequent loss of the cheetah's natural habitat.Born in Venlo, in The Netherlands, in 1954, Dick Van Heerde began painting in oil on canvas at the age of ten. After school, he began to learn the art of restoring paintings dating from the seventeenth century. He completed his apprenticeship in three and a half years, after which he worked for several years as a self-employed restorer of paintings.
Studying the techniques used by the old Masters began to heavily influence his style of painting. Before launching into his own career as a professional artist, he worked for some time as a laboratory assistant for a paint manufacturer and learned the finer chemistry of colour pigments and paints. To begin with, his paintings were typical of the surrealistic style. However, he soon decided to specialise in wildlife, still-life and landscape scenes, and today, Dick Van Heerde particularly enjoys painting European landscapes, although he is predominantly a wildlife artist.
In 1989, he made his first trip to Tanzania, where he developed a passion for painting the magnificent scenery and wildlife. Dick Van Heerde has since travelled extensively around Kenya, painting and sketching. Wildlife and landscapes have always been the main source of inspiration for his unique works, which have been exhibited at galleries in Holland and Germany. During the autumn of 1997, Dick Van Heerde's work was featured in a major wildlife exhibition at the Tryon and Swann Gallery, in London.
Limited Edition Print of 500 individually hand-numbered copies, each of which is signed by the artist.
Image size - 17 x 30 ins / 43 x 76 cm
Paper size - 24 x 35 ins / 60 x 89 cm
Image © Felix Rosenstiel’s Widow & Son
| Limited edition Prinr: £76.00 |  |
|---|