Legends

Nkosi !

 Gona re Zhou 

(Place of the elephants )

After years of watching animals, one gets some kind of idea of their personalities - we can sometimes see character traits of ourselves or our close family and friends in them. This great man pictured above is in the great “Gona re Zhou” National Park - his powerful presence was humbling, and his gentlemanly nature reminds me of someone who has been a legend in my life. 

There comes a time when we all question life and the curve balls it has thrown us, and being as busy as we are, we very seldom get perspective on the gift that is life.

Having been able to spend time out here we learn that silence is a friend, not an enemy, however quietness and time for reflection are hard to find and consequently some of the most meaningful words are never said. Someone once said that life was like an enormous pin ball machine and the ball that represents us shoots around the pinball machine with millions of others, missing some and hitting others and those hits and misses are the events that shape our lives! My ball has clicked with many others, and whilst some of them have been 'educational', others have been pinnacles in my life - helping shape it and shaping me.

Somewhere in New South Wales, Australia I met a man who changed many aspects of my life, this was one of those balls that clicked with mine - cajoling me and pushing me to greater efforts, maturing me and ensuring that I believed in myself. The relationship lives on today some 30 years later, where my nephews have formed a close relationship with him. There is a uniqueness to this man and he is a legend amongst his own - quiet, big, assertive and powerful.

And although it has been many years since we have laughed together, I know that when we meet again the years will mean nothing. Sandy, you are a legend to us all and the many miles that separate us are merely metres as your strength and example covers all ground.

When I look at this majestic animal, somehow I recognise you here - your presence and his are the same - powerful and wise, gentle and yet persuasive. I can never express my gratitude to you for what you have done for me, even some thirty years on you have been there, being a rock for the boys. Thank you.

Will

Kumusha

"kuterera"

Oil on Canvas 

Zambezi Valley

Another recent trip to the ’Valley’ - the spiritual ambience as always descends upon you like some cloak, warming the soul, inspiring deep thought and above all a journey into the present!

Memories play like some continuous film roll through our minds as individual smells and sights trigger certain senses, and the silence of reality plays its music deeply within us - a time for contemplation, a time of reflection.

How do you describe such beauty in the right way? Perhaps we don’t, no words can ever really make an adequate description of something so special, even a picture doesn’t do this justice. The beauty of this place we call the ‘Valley’ is reflected within us, it’s a warm feeling of knowing without a doubt that we are in the right place at the right time, a feeling of being ‘ku musha’.

Today, I reflect on the privilege I have had in my life - being able to spend so much time in these special places. Whatever happened in the past was meant to be, though I confess the sadness of not taking more of it in when I could.

I started writing this in the dark early morning overlooking the river - the birds are starting up and in the distance the hyenas are calling excitedly, signifying the harsh realities of Nature. The cool morning air reminds me of those many fires that we shared together, many times just in silence, others in frantic discussion about subjects that were of the day but never really mattered in the end. These campfires became louder as we added to our clan with wonderful wives and fantastic children, who themselves began this journey that we had always wanted for them, that one of great camaraderie and closeness that will be a strength to draw from forever.

The memories of you swirl around me like leaves on a gentle breeze, triggered by the smells and sounds that are the early morning here in the ‘Valley’. Somewhere in the distance, the lions are calling and the feeling of just ‘being’ is so intense, so real, that I wonder where all the time has gone. It still feels like yesterday that you didn’t make it to join us here in this special place.

I know somewhere out there you are watching and enjoying the antics of us all, you will be proud of the way your family progresses on that Journey of life and who they are, your amazing wife and your children who we learn from continuously - your time here was a powerful one, so impacting.

Perhaps it’s the atmosphere of the moment, but I see you out there with Mumbo, walking the paths that the elephant walk, discussing trees, being in the place that you loved. I picture you crossing the great Chewore River close to ‘Pa dare’ where the lions sit in the shadow of the great Baobab, a symbol of the great strength you left within us all.

The silence of the morning is friendly, the orchestra of doves starting up in unison as day slowly breaks to my east, and the first light shows on the horizon. Today will be a good one, another great memory for the future, another brush stroke on the oil painting that is life. The intoxicating blends of Mopane clay, water and elephant fill the fresh morning air, an undeniably African ambience reminds us of you. We will laugh at some of these memories and in time we will laugh at the memories that we will make today, but most of all we are stronger as we will know how fortunate we are to have shared this journey with you.

WAM Aug 2017

“ Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life " Mary Oliver  

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”(the Prophet)

At some point we all judge , we have opinions and ideas about whats happening around the world , about people , about things and as we get older the stance may change , but it certainly changes with knowledge .Life is an endless cycle of opposites , no one is immune to these cycles , Life in itself is a cycle of its own opposite , Death!. sooner or later it is the one thing that we can be certain of .

Somehow in the world we live in there is idea in society that possibly time is endless and can be extended - day to day is not something we look at it anymore , and yet if we look at our placebo , nature , there is nothing more than day to day !We have to move now !

For hundreds of years , the thinking of individuals has been swayed by society's Institutions , by religion , and more recently by the commercial world, in the endless pursuit of "progress" and to be a part of it, however never more than now is the pressure on the individual to think in a way that is dictated by policy ,education , society , conform or else !

It is unquestionable that the very fibre of society is being questioned daily ,social media and the internet have shrunk the world, information is on peoples fingertips instantaneously, our news networks spend time showing bias opinions with agendas , and the real issues that effect life are not given airtime , as they are not commercially beneficial!
Why is that with the power and means to do the right thing, so many powerful institutions have in fact hidden agendas ? and why do we, the very people who support these institutions not question them more openly ?

Take a moment to consider  the consequences of ecological collapse, the collapse of our origin ? In my life time there are many species that are effectively extinct , basically destroyed through our societies bungling efforts for "progress" . Where is the line people ? At what point do we as people , as a responsible species say No?And in this regard when do we back the people who do know, the people at the rock face without hidden agenda?

Today as we speak, there are dedicated men and women, mostly completely misunderstood by the vast majority, committing their lives to the conservation of species of animals and vegetation that are facing an unparalleled onslaught of poaching and destruction,signs of a commitment from deep within with very little reward.
Some of these people come from unlikely backgrounds and others from more predictable ones, ex department of wildlife people,Professsional guides, Professional hunters are all banding to gather at the rock face of this problem, they are the "grunts" of this war, the foot soldiers  - the criticism by many is unfounded and often comes from people removed from the rock face with  "trending "opinions .
Opinions are healthy and necessary,but for us to find common ground however we need to have a better understanding of what is happening on the ground and unfortunately those very institutions that have grown so big and become so powerful because we have let them, are many of them, defining the way we think on this and not pulling their weight, as it is in direct conflict with their own 'progress'

Come ,feel the breeze , take in the fragrance of nature , of reality, and ponder quietly the enormity of the situation we are facing!

Tread lightly on the Earth 

Will Maberly 

The Arrival
 Oil on  canvas
100 x60cm

The Evening is upon us , the light has changed as it does in the Zambezi Valley , the birds are moving and that heat of the mid day is dying .Its been another long day in the dust and the heat of the Zambezi Valley and it feels like the very Bush  is a sighing in relief .

Deep in the Jesse the dust is stirred up by the feet of these Elephant  , as they smell the water nearby , the  Bulls increase their pace to the small pan , their size is impressive – humbling and above all the silence is spiritual -
Take a walk where the animals walk  , sit there and the sensations of Africa will fill you , the dampness of the Mopane clay around the pan , the aromas of elephant dung , and the sound of all the birds will combine to create  a sensation , a feeling  that sits with you forever

This is a group of Bachelors , the young and the eager out front – often known as “Askari” or Policemen ,they are often out ahead and accompany the older Bulls , learning from them and respecting them –like the youngest in the family , he is often cajoled and reprimanded but taught by his elder brothers .

This painting reminds me of you boys , of Tom and Matt and Mitch ,I see how it is -and how it will always be , a brotherhood of fine men  , a tribute to their Mother and their Father , and it will remind you of this place we call the “Valley “, a place where we have been very privileged to be a part of for so many years .

Wherever you fetch up in life and , what ever you end up doing , moments like those will keep you strong – the knowing that you have been a part of this incredible life we have led will keep you powerful and resolute

Above all it will remind you of where you come from , for without a past there is no future

Is this just a cold snap or is it something more permanent

The shadows are lengthening, the sun is lower in the sky, it’s almost July again and there is a chill in the air, which gets to you in more ways than one, yes it’s cold, but there is a different chill to those who are really feeling it!

Warily, perhaps, I glance out of the studio window looking at the beautiful light, but there is a subconscious feeling that something is fading, coming close to inevitable change. It is true to say, the one thing we can be truly sure of, nothing will stay the same. Perhaps it’s our own subconscious, unspoken belief in immortality or the fact that we never wake up expecting not to be here, but paradoxically we know that nothing is permanent.

I know there are some major events taking place locally at the moment, my country is having a tough time, I feel deep within me the echoes of the gunshots in the valley as more and more of our Elephants die to the poachers guns. 
Whilst I marvel at the efforts of individuals in this battle for conservation, simultaneously I am deeply scarred by the lack of understanding by "world authorities" when it comes to getting behind local knowledge. It seems that the "authorities that can" are not really interested and are too busy manipulating events to sensationalize and underline their own indispensability,

Winter is definitely here, but it’s a winter with a difference, one for mankind that we will never come back from if we don’t start reacting correctly and behaving responsibly about Nature.

Time is not on our side! We have the means, but perhaps not the willpower to keep out the "cold".

Take a walk where the animals walk, feel the air and take in the sensations of Africa, at this rate it won’t be here for long!
Listen, the drums are beating.

Will Maberly Art 

There is an Undeniable Power ...the hidden hiding in Plain sight !

To the wonderful  ladies in my life ,the people with us and no longer with us who have given it all in the name of their beloved ones,unquestioningly and selflessly 

I found this for you

It is said she is made of storm cells ,and a wild wolfs hungry heart.

That she learnt the lightning’s secret ripping darkened skies apart.

The power of her presence can bring mountains to their knees.

Her song is one of chaos

As she stirs the angry seas .

But if you’d met you would be no wiser 

For she is also born of light .

Another face amongst the crowd 

The hidden hiding in plain site .

Great Power doesn’t always come 

Inside the forms that you’d assume

But you would never doubt her strength

when she is howling at the moon .

Wisdom

The Character shows in her face , the lines of endurance and hardship create her personality ,her ears tattered by hundreds of bushes , and yet her wisdom is so evident in her eyes , as she guides her family through the paths of life .By October the temperatures and the drought means she has to lead her family many miles to water , often through barren areas where food has been grazed and flattened , and then back again from the water to food ,she is a leader of souls,her nature a pure one and her purpose is just that- to guide and preserve .

Somewhere we have got lost, life is simple actually and yet we all complicate it ,is it not our true nature to guide and preserve? As a  group of elephants in the jesse quietly approaches , the Matriarch watching warily, no noise ,no fluster,just quietly steering her group aside,the silent communication these animals have is fascinating and beyond our detection

There is an energy that exists out here which is  difficult to label, but intuitively I see this energy as a fascinating wisdom. We as humans dont pick up on all that is happening out there amongst these animals,as our senses are no longer strong enough and yet we have assumed the role of the intelligent ones..... and compare all other species to our selves ,consequently our understanding of life has become murky at best ,whilst theirs is beyond reproach.

Pure Wisdom 

Unfortunately the world of today is too noisy , agendas , politics ,business,there is no time for a real appreciation of who we are and what our purpose is and the inability of our generation to sit in the quiet in silence is one of our biggest downfalls.

The Road To Ngweshla 

Oil On Canvas 220cm x160cm

Life is simple out here , its about today , its about now – it’s a contrast– brutal and yet peaceful – there is a tranquility here beyond measure  a feeling that this is how it should be ……..

The dust rises as these old Buffalo Bulls  swagger slowly down the path towards the pan , once a path - now a road ,cut by the feet of countless buffalo and elephant  in the Kalahari sands

The air is filled with that intoxicating blend of the wild - a sensation of heat mixed with the scents of Africa  that will sit deep within your senses  for ever

Sitting here in the African silence , there is a feeling of almost slipping into another world , a world where there is a purer purpose to life –a world where there is no thought given to greed ,a world where silence is a companion and not an enemy – a world where we belong -I shake my head at the wonder of it all  , at how the wild resonates so deeply within me –creating a deep thirst for more knowledge of this place and its inhabitants –a need to deeply understand and portray the deep symbiosis between man and the wild .Soon………..soon  it will be too late  –take time  to walk in the places the animals walk -come and take in the intoxicating blends of Africa ,…..come on a journey that will humble you and yet make you powerful beyond measure

Will Maberly 2017

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.( the Invitation)

The dry hot wind blew down on us in the dried river bed of the Chewore River, in the near distance a male lion sits with his females , sparing us a glance, he looks away disdainfully, arrogantly. 

This beautiful harsh place is beyond modern understanding in many ways, it is simply natural and mostly untouched. Life is tough and uncomplicated, which is fearful for most humans, as its just too real, there is a silence here that is beyond pure. 
I feel life coursing through my veins as  I observe some of the most breathtaking scenery, this really does it for me! The senses are heightened as I keep focused on the Jesse and the thickets lining the edge of the river, 'This is Africa' resonates strongly  in my mind, repetitively and I think back to when as a  younger man, I listened in awe of the tales of Africa and its inhabitants. The fables of the ancients and the beliefs and  legends, this is the core of my very  being.

As we walk toward Mariatsoro Spring, the energy is powerful, looking up at the steep walls of the gorge, I try and think back to when the ancient people occupied caves here  - I think about how much it has changed  or not changed in the last 100 years.

Perhaps not at all ? 

The spoor of countless Buffalo , elephant and lion amongst others create a parquet pattern in the dried sand, like the movement of the years gone by  the stream of water from the spring runs toward the great Zambezi River many miles away to the North. 
The ambiance is tangible, and in this quiet moment I feel the memories and stories of our own lives play like some movie in our minds, each meander the water takes signifying how life changes and new directions are taken, like the spoor in the sand we are marked and scarred by the events in life that we have encountered. 
In the silence as we walk up through the walls of the gorge, we can hear the voices on the wind talking to us, the whispered  words that trigger our senses into the present .

Somewhere close by in thickets in the jesse a group of Elephants move on a path led by the Matriarch, gently browsing, trusting in an instinct that has been a part of their make up since time began, intuitively they understand the paths to follow in life and adapt to the seasons, great wisdom reflected in their eyes.

Around the bend in the river bed the lions start to call, the energy of this awe inspiring sound drifted down the river bed toward us, it seems that the moment freezes, a moment to take your breath away.

The privilege of life knows no bounds, its all about the moment we are in - the world of today is too wrapped up in complicating things. This is where life is real, the feeling of being in the moment is spiritual, and the strength I draw from this is powerful.

Take a moment, walk where the animals walk, listen to the voices in the wind and above all listen to your soul.

Now more than ever we need to preserve, the life of Africa is being squeezed from her very veins, and its time for us to stand for what is true.

 The patchwork of Africa , the prints in the sand that tell the stories of so much !

The Wild 

Oil on Canvas 

120 x 80 cm 

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.(the Invitation)

Matriachs

In my mind somewhere out on the edge of consciousness I see Rita and Eve like this ,having a chat about it all , I believe they have no worries now , not even about us , as they know now no doubt that all  is exactly how what is supposed to be .

The photo is so typical of them , their body language like two old matriarchs communicating with each other at the pan about their families , always learning , always guiding , always wise !

Rest in Peace 

Trust
Oil on Canvas