During my travels in East Africa, zebras were often among the most visible animals on the open plains. I encountered them in immense herds, in smaller family groups, and alongside newborn animals taking their first uncertain steps. Their abundance can make them seem familiar, but the complexity of their patterns and their constant alertness remain remarkable.

In Serengeti, I used graphite and charcoal to emphasize the zebra’s bold striping, form, and presence. The restricted palette allows the animal’s pattern to become both portrait and landscape—an individual shaped by, and visually inseparable from, the grassland ecosystem it inhabits.

The drawing reflects my memories of the vast East African plains and my admiration for the beauty, resilience, and abundance represented by the Plains Zebra.