Cox & Kings has partnered with Art Safaris in Africa to offer a collection of small-group holidays aimed at those inspired to paint and sketch the stunning wildlife and landscapes of Botswana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Whether a beginner or an experienced artist, Art Safari’s professional team of tutors and guides will encourage guests to sit, look, observe and sketch the surroundings, using observation as a way of learning about the land, people and wildlife.
Among the tours on offer by Cox & Kings is Zambia: Large, Grey & Unmistakable, a 10-day / 7-night non-exclusive group tour departing 11 October 2014. Led by expert art safari guide Mary-Anne Bartlett, this tour gives travellers the chance to get up close to elephants and big cats, sketching from open vehicles.
Exploring Zambia’s extraordinarily beautiful and wildlife-rich South Luangwa National Park, which has been described as ‘another Eden’, the tour includes expert tuition and guidance on capturing the landscape and animals on canvas. The itinerary includes night drives with an experienced spotter and allows plenty of time to linger in the park to paint wonderful river landscapes, dry lagoons teaming with wildlife and twisted trees full of birds, while staying in Art Safari’s own riverbank lodge. On morning and afternoon wildlife drives, guests are encouraged to sketch and paint large groups of elephants, lions, antelopes and zebras. There is also time to relax and paint from the lodge with its resident giraffe and elephant meandering through the grounds.
Talking about her inspiration to set up Art Safaris, Barlett says: “The most rewarding times I have had travelling have been when sketching – it causes an interaction that is seldom found between tourists and local people. It’s also thoroughly absorbing and addictive. For me, a satisfying picture is that moment when I feel a total empathy with the subject, either the adrenalin of being near animals, or the sense of calm when they are peacefully distant in their landscape.” – See more at: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/58986/cox-amp-kings-introduces-painting#sthash.cUgrtpCa.dpuf