Collection: Sarnel Calitz

She is a South African artist with a deep passion for drawing animal portraits, inspired by the wildlife of Africa—a vibrant continent she proudly calls home.

Her work focuses on capturing animals that resonate with her emotionally, from the iconic to the overlooked, as well as those that are threatened or unusual. Over time, she has built a personal “bucket list” of subjects she aims to portray, each chosen for its unique presence and character.

For her, drawing is both a form of escape and connection. It allows her to step away from daily life and engage deeply with her subjects, often spending long hours observing detail and personality—especially in dogs, which she feels she could recognise anywhere.

She often says, “I draw anything, as long as it has eyes,” reflecting her belief that the eyes are what bring a drawing to life.

Initially working in graphite and human portraiture, her focus gradually shifted to animals, which became her true artistic calling. As her practice evolved, she moved into Faber-Castell oil-based pencils and later embraced colour with Polychromos pencils and PanPastel backgrounds. Today, she works in both monochrome and colour, continuously evolving while remaining rooted in her love for capturing life through detail and expression.