karoo

In 1982, on the invitation of Prof John Skinner, I embarked on a field biology project in the Karoo of South Africa.  I told ‘Prof’ I wanted to do something I couldnt do at home in Wales so he sent me to the Karoo to study sheep!  well a comparison of muttons with native Springbok.  I spent 80 days on the top of a windmill observing them and enjoyed a unique opportunity to get to know the fauna and flora of the Karoo plains (or ‘vlakte’).  In 1986 I returned to the Karoo to study Black Eagles in the mountains of Beaufort West.  And then spent a year travelling to all the ends of this massive veld type to see how it interfaces with other ecosystems.  All in all nine wonderful years spent in this extraordinary and beautiful place.  These are some 500 of the sketches and paintings with extracts from a publication in press..

Rob Davies