East of the Sun - Chinese Leopard by wildlife portrait artist Carl Brenders

East of the Sun - Chinese Leopard by Carl Brenders available from Prickly Pear Galleries.

 

"...The leopard or panther has several subspecies. The colour of this magnificent cat can go from very light to a deep orange-beige. The leopard, which once lived in large numbers in China and other parts of Asia, is now only found in a few wild areas in that big country and in small numbers. The decline is due to the declining habitiat and to his beautiful fur, which makes him the victim of many illegal fur traders. Obviously darker that its African cousin, the Chinese leopard has all the same other features and behaviour as all leopards.

 

"In this painting, I kept the background somewhat out of focus to concentrate exclusively on the wonderful cat face. It is sad to think that so beautiful an animal will one day no longer be found in the wild. The title is taken from an old Scandinavian fairy tale about a mythical place that could only be reached if one were to travel to a remote destination east of the sun and west of the moon. The day will come when, unfortunately, even if you were to travel to the farthest corners of the earth, you will not find the Chinese leopard roaming free in the Far East. This beautiful creature will be found only in zoos and seen in photos or in paintings such as this." - Carl Brenders from his new book "Pride of Place" (2007).

 

 

See also West of the Moon -  Snow Leopard by C. Brenders.

Print and canvas released 2002.