The Art of Simon Combes
1940-2004
Best known for his stunning images of wildlife in the African bush
Biography

Picture
AFTERGLOW
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
23"w x 16"h.
Edition Size:550
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
165.00    
 
Aconsumate storyteller, Combes shared this story, "Driving along a dusty track in Nakuru National Park at 7 o’clock one morning, out of the corner of my eye I caught a slight movement in the grass, a shape which broke the pattern of undergrowth some ten yards in. I pulled to a halt and we waited, trying not to be typical tourists, hoping the lions would accept and ignore our presence. After about 15 minutes, we were rewarded when the lioness rose and rubbed her face against the male’s side, then crouched back down in front of him, glancing invitingly over her shoulder and lashing her tail from side to side. He obliged, and with the accompaniment of ferocious growls, the act was over seconds later. The lioness rolled onto her back in an apparent display of satisfaction, the big male flopped down in the grass, his face resuming the look of extreme boredom."
AMBOSELI ANCIENTS
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
23 1/4"w x 18 1/2"h.
Edition Size:1000
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
150.00    
 
Lake Amboseli is a shallow, brackish stretch of water at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Most of the "lake" consists of flat, dry salt pans but at the end closest to the mountain is an extensive swamp fed from the glacier and the many streams which flow from its'summit. Surrounding the swamp are forests of acacia trees whose shape is so typically Africa. It is a timeless, ancient land dominated by the towering might of Kilimanjaro and throughout the swamp and lake and grasslands and forests roam herds of those other ancient African giants - the elephants.
Top Left-Lion About (exclusive print with boxed collection)--Mountain Myth--Pride--Serious Intent--Siberian Winter--Snow Tracker--Eyes of Warning--Golden Silhouette--Indian Summer--Jungle Phantom.
GREAT CATS-BOXED SET COLLECTION
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINTS
Image size:
27"w x 17 3/4"h.
Edition Size:500
Sold out at publisher...we have it
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
1,900.00    
 
An African Experience
Simon Combes
MASTERWORK CANVAS EDITION
Image size:
32"w x 40"h.
Edition Size:100
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
975.00    
 
Artist, adventurer and conservationist Simon Combes called Africa home. His art portrays the grace, power and mystery of the wild with an exacting technique and attention to detail. Best known for his stunning images of African landscapes and wildlife, Combes’ paintings would be mistaken for photographs, except for life and warmth no Nikon can capture. In An African Experience, Simon’s focus is on the pride of the Serengeti. “Little outcrops of rock stand out like islands in the grassy sea of the Serengeti,” Simon said.“Formed millions of years ago during the cataclysmic upheavals and volcanic eruptions of Africa's birth, these rock groups form fantastic shapes. For Serengeti lions, rock garden oases are more than watering holes. They provide lairs where cubs can be born, and havens to escape the heat of the day. They are also vantage points from which lions can watch the parade of life go by.”
Arrogance
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
30"w x 20"h.
Edition Size:100
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
725.00    
 
“I enjoy relating animals to human equivalents,” said artist Simon Combes. “I always think of cheetahs, for example, as very serious animals. A lion may grin and a leopard may leer or sneer but a cheetah would only frown. A cheetah might be a dedicated professional athlete whereas a lion would be an amateur rugby player.”
Simultaneously relaxed and vigilant, the cheetah at the center of Arrogance seems very somber indeed. This is, in part, attributable to the cheetah’s “tear marks,” black markings that run from the cheetah’s eyes to its mouth. The markings help block sunlight, as well as aid in hunting and seeing over long distances. They also make the cheetah appear incurably grave.
Simon Combes’ gorgeous rendering of one of nature’s fastest animals at rest was created as part of his “Great Cats of the World” series. Arrogance is a captivating portrait that will become the focal point of any room.
Chui
Simon Combes
Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Giclée Canvas
30" w x 20" h.
50 numbered only.
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
595.00    
 
First Light
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
14"w x 18"h.
Edition Size:75
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
395.00    
 
“Cheetahs are enigmatic and perhaps the most intriguing of all the big cats to me,” says artist Simon Combes of the subject of First Light. “My encounters with cheetahs have been like meeting a person who has poise, elegance, class, fleeting moments of warmth and yet tantalizingly aloof. The challenge of painting cheetahs is two-fold: firstly, the chest is so pronounced in comparison to the head that in certain positions the animal can look positively grotesque. Secondly, I am often stumped at portraying the cat’s mood … what is it thinking behind that mask of haughty distain? So serious, so intent, so reserved, does this animal ever relax and have fun? This painting was as much an indulgence in design as it was an attempt to capture that magical, early-morning, golden mistiness surrounding the surreal silhouettes of distant arcadia trees. I loved the elegant, s-shaped line from the cheetah’s nose to the tip of its tail.”
GOLDEN SILHOUETTE
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
27"w x 17 3/4"h.
Edition Size:950
Sold out at publisher...we have it
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
225.00    
 
IMMINENT PURSUIT
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
23"w x 15 5/8"h.
Edition Size:550
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
150.00    
 
Lower your field glasses, kill the engine of your jeep — there’s a pair of cheetahs, male and female, under the acacia thornbush ahead. As the fierce sun beats down upon the grasslands beyond, patches of light and shadow play upon the coats of these great cats.... You’re as good as there at Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve, and celebrated wildlife artist Simon Combes is your personal tour guide. As Simon points out, “Cheetahs don‘t normally hunt in the middle of the day due to the intense heat. This pair is probably having a mental battle over whether to remain in the cool shade or sprint across the searing plains, but the sighting of prey is surely a great temptation....”
In His Prime
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
25"w x 30"h.
Edition Size:150
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
895.00    
 
A young lion leads his family from a muted, shadowy landscape onto the sunny plain. As the lionesses catch up, he stands at attention and scans the horizon for signs of trouble. A dry, hot breeze ruffles his mane but still the young lion stands in the dry grass, unblinking, unmoved and utterly In His Prime. Artist Simon Combes spent the majority of his adult life painting wildlife in his homeland, Africa. His dynamic animal portraits and sweeping landscapes earned him honors from The Society of Animal Artists, the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show and the Florida Wildlife Expo. In the early 1990s, Combes set out to paint a series of the world's largest cats (his favorite subject) for The Greenwich Workshop, a project which eventually resulted in the trade book Great Cats: Stories and Art from a World Traveller and a collector's portfolio of limited edition prints.
KEEPING DISTANCE
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
30"w x 20"h.
Edition Size:100
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
595.00    
 
Lion Cub and Butterfly
Simon Combes
SMALLWORK CANVAS EDITION
Image size:
14"w x 10"h.
Edition Size:75
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
225.00    
 
Midday Siesta
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
28"w x 19"h.
Edition Size:75
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
625.00    
 
Lions are not preyed upon by any other animal which probably explains their arrogance and any disregard for other species. Apparently, this also explains why they have no stripes or spots—no need for camouflage—although they do have spots when they are young. Resting during the day, they display strong family ties with much mutual rubbing, licking and body contact. Their uninterrupted life of sleeping, eating and breeding would suggest a population explosion but the illusion of peaceful cooperation disappears a soon as food is available. Then, survival of the fittest is the maxim. Recent apparent soul-mates spit and snarl and swipe at each other and any lion not in top condition will go hungry without pricking the conscience of its fellow.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
16"w x 14 1/4"h.
Edition Size:550
Sold out at publisher..we have it
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
395.00    
 
Ripples and Reflections
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
30"w x 20"h.
Edition Size:100
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
695.00    
 
To own a Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Edition of Simon Combes is to be present in the wilds of his beloved Africa surrounded by animals and an environment alive and in motion. It is a precious moment in a never-ending safari, with Combes as our trusted guide. In Ripples and Reflections, we are observing reticulated giraffes only found in the arid north of Kenya. The Uaso Nyiro River flows through this area until its dwindling waters disappear altogether in the shifting hot sands. As the dry season drops the river level even lower, sand spits divide the shallow flow of water. The newly reticulated landscape mirrors the giraffes’ unique coats and protective markings radiating the incomparable sense of being that is Africa.
SENTINELS
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Image size:
12 1/2"w x 19 5/8"h.
Edition Size:550
$10 shipping included in price below
$
135.00    
 
"The giraffe is one of the world's most extraordinary creatures. Because of their height and exceptional eyesight, they serve as lookouts for the rest of the herd and can eat leaves that are beyond the reach of almost any other animal. They are a peace-loving breed, although they are well able to defend themselves. Any big cat who tries to attack them will think twice before attempting it again."
Untouched by the callous hand of man, the graceful silhouette of a classic acacia tree and the serene elegance of the world's tallest mammal provide the perfect antidote for this increasingly crowded, stressed and frenetic world.
The Last Elephants
Simon Combes
MUSEUMEDITION CANVAS
Image size:
62"w x 27"h.
Edition Size:75
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
1,950.00    
 
Years ago, Simon Combes wrote in his diary: “‘Africa’s Elephants in Danger of Extinction!’ I was stunned by the cataclysmic headlines in 1989. With the elephants’ plight uppermost in my mind, I decided to paint as large a canvas as my small studio would accommodate. Visually, the painting would ask the question,‘Where are the elephants going?’ There must be uncertainty and bleakness to symbolize the imminent tragedy. “The line of elephants winds its way over the ridge, perhaps traveling from a lush valley into a dry, inhospitable environment epitomized by a tree’s skeleton and sparse tufts of sun- bleached grass struggling for survival in the infertile ground. Perhaps only in such a stark wilderness can the last of the elephants survive the predations of man. ”Twenty years later, elephants are still at risk for extinction, but there have been some steps in the right direction: shortly after Simon Combes read those alarming headlines, the United States government imposed a ban on commercial import of elephant ivory and many other countries followed suit.Unfortunately, the elephants are not safe as yet and it is up to us to protect them and their habitat.
The Survivors
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
30"w x 20"h.
Edition Size:50
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
725.00    
 
Tsavo Sentinel-Framed
Simon Combes
LIMITED EDITION CANVAS
Image size:
11"w x 12"h.
Edition Size:150
Sold out at publisher...we have it framed
@@FREE SHIPPING@@
$
345.00    
 
At just over 13,000 square miles, Tsavo National Park is the largest park in Kenya and one of the largest in the world. With its impressive size comes enormous diversity — the park boasts 1,000 plant species and over 60 major species of mammals, including the African elephant. During his visits to Tsavo, Simon Combes was fortunate to encounter several majestic bull elephants in the bush. You can relive Simon’s face-to-face experiences with your very own "Tsavo Sentinel."










































The Art of Simon Combes
Best known for his stunning images of wildlife in the African bush