David Yarrow
White Mischief, 2022
Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper
Edition of 12 plus 3 artist's proofs
71" x 73" (framed), 56" x 58" (print)
52" x 53" (framed), 37" x 38" (print)
Indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa, white lions are now extremely rare – they are the stuff of children’s fables rather than day to day reality in the...
Indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa, white lions are now extremely rare – they are the stuff of children’s fables rather than day to day reality in the bush. White lions need help to survive as a breed.
My friend Kevin Richardson, The Lion Whisperer, still looks after a few, although his favourite white lion in the sanctuary, Thor, was killed by a lightning strike – a perverse twist of fate given that Thor is the god of thunder and lightning. That tragic strike suggested the work of higher powers.
When I first saw this white lioness, her colouring, or indeed lack of it, had a profound and immediate visual impact on me. She was as much a mythological beast as she was a modern day cat. It struck me that we needed to build the narrative around the fact that she was so white. Nothing else really mattered – she should look haunting and ethereal.
I could be nowhere near the camera when we worked this image – these lions are dangerous and big. I operated the remote from at least 60 yards away, but I prefocused precisely on the ridge as I wanted no context other than the fluffy white clouds. This composition I felt would further enhance the sense of a fairytale.
My friend Kevin Richardson, The Lion Whisperer, still looks after a few, although his favourite white lion in the sanctuary, Thor, was killed by a lightning strike – a perverse twist of fate given that Thor is the god of thunder and lightning. That tragic strike suggested the work of higher powers.
When I first saw this white lioness, her colouring, or indeed lack of it, had a profound and immediate visual impact on me. She was as much a mythological beast as she was a modern day cat. It struck me that we needed to build the narrative around the fact that she was so white. Nothing else really mattered – she should look haunting and ethereal.
I could be nowhere near the camera when we worked this image – these lions are dangerous and big. I operated the remote from at least 60 yards away, but I prefocused precisely on the ridge as I wanted no context other than the fluffy white clouds. This composition I felt would further enhance the sense of a fairytale.