Peter Blackwell: Art and Conservation Inspired by African Wildlife
Eve Flanigan 01.31.24
At the January 2024 West Texas Hunting Extravaganza, hosted by the West Texas chapter of Safari Club International, there was one sponsor/vendor booth featuring art, unusual among the mainstream choices of hunting gear, apparel, and hunt trip companies. Though I’m not a safari hunter, I found myself drawn to the striking images on the booth walls, and walked in for a closer look. There I met Peter Blackwell, a Kenyan artist with immense talent, a love for conservation, and a gift for sharing the magical appeal of African geography and fauna.
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Blackwell works in multiple media including oils, acrylic, watercolors, pen and ink, and more. His realistic, full-color portrayals of African wildlife are stunning indeed. A recent painting, Winner Takes All, depicts the intense stares of two Cape Buffalo bulls during a dusty hiatus in their battle for dominance. The original was donated to the event’s fundraising auction, an act of support the artist has done for many years. It sold for $8,000.
But it was another aspect of Blackwell’s work that really stirred me, and is unique among the products of wildlife artists. Blackwell seeks out historic, often used maps of various regions and countries of Africa, and creates art right on the map. The activities (like sailing) or wildlife drawn/painted on the maps are reflective of the places depicted. In one jaw-dropping rendition of an elephant, the contour lines on the map integrate seamlessly with the artist’s lifelike re-creation of the creases on its skin. “I seek to strike a chord with people who see these,” said Blackwell, and from the reaction of one booth-goer, he succeeds. The man stood in front of one art map for a time, examining it closely. Then he raised a finger and spoke. “I killed my elephant right…..there. It was 1996.” The memory brought a smile to his face.
Rustic appeal is inherent in the art maps. Some date back to the 1940s. Stains and ragged edges that might devalue them as antiques are embraced by the artist as part of the appeal, adding a certain patina to the work that creates a perfect marriage of new art on what’s become a nostalgic navigation tool.
The allure of the art maps goes beyond hunters. Blackwell explained that he’s often tasked with working with home decorators—typically the female of a married couple in which the husband is the safari hunter. The maps, he said, often serve to bridge their tastes when it comes to big decorating decisions. Blackwell prints are rare, so each map is an original treasure, priced around $3,000. They are often the choice of couples as their appeal is wider than the sport or animal portrayed. He added that, as art changes hands in inheritance situations, map art usually stays with the heir for the same reason.
Innovation is needed to sustain conservation efforts of all sorts. Peter Blackwell’s African map art is an example of how something aged can be presented in a new way to appeal to both future hunters and to pique the interest of those who are hunting-curious. And while his current designs and charity are centered on African pursuits, the concept could well be applied to any geographic region. His designs bring beauty and intrigue to the past, present, and future. Sharing his work with the safari hunting community is one way to ensure ongoing interest in the lives and habitat of relevant species.
