🐾 Baby Cheetah
Series: Another Wild Silence
Oil on panel | Digitally scanned Giclée print
Scan: 30(h) x 40(w) cm | Max print size:60x80cm
A young cheetah rests, its eyes wide with wonder and instinct. Its soft, spotted fur is still thick with the pale silver mantle of youth—an ancient camouflage gifted by nature. The background hums with warm, earthy tones, evoking the golden stillness of the African veld just before dusk.
My own South African heritage and a lifelong reverence for the natural world inspired this piece. I’ve always been drawn to the silence between predator and prey—the balance, the poise. Painting this baby cheetah was my way of capturing the raw beauty of early life in the wild: vulnerable, powerful, and deeply connected to something timeless.
The expression is not one of fear, but awareness. The cheetah is listening—to the land, the wind, to its becoming.
This artwork invites a sense of quiet strength and wonder. It’s perfect for those who love animals, wild places, or feel deeply connected to Africa’s spiritual and natural rhythms. In an interior, it offers focus, warmth, and a soulful presence—particularly in earth-toned spaces, children’s rooms, or creative studios where courage and softness are both welcome.
Leone Tonkinson is a South African-born artist with a deep connection to nature. Raised among the golden light, vast plains and wildlife of Africa, she finds her inspiration in the pure beauty of animals and their quiet, meaningful presence.
Now based in the Netherlands, Leone paints with..
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