impala ewe and lamb | pen & ink

This pen-and-ink drawing of an impala ewe and her newborn lamb reflects one of the bushveld’s most finely timed survival strategies. Impala give birth at the start of the rainy season, when the African bushveld transforms almost overnight — dry soil softens, fresh grass pushes through, and grazing becomes abundant. Timing is everything. By calving in early spring, females ensure their young arrive when food is richest and the herd is strongest. Lambs are born surprisingly alert and on their feet within minutes. For the first few days, mothers hide their young in tall grass to keep them safe from predators, returning often to nurse. Once strong enough, lambs rejoin the nursery groups within the herd, where many mothers watch over them collectively. This seasonal synchrony — birth aligned perfectly with rainfall and new growth — boosts each lamb’s chance of survival. This artwork captures that delicate moment of new life in a landscape renewed by rain.