Artist:Simon Combes
Title Keeping Distance
Size:30" x 20"
Edition:S/N Canvas to 100
About the Artist: Adventurer, Artist, Friend

The world of Wildlife art has lost a great talent. Internationally known artist, Simon Combes passed away on Sunday, December 12, 2004 near his home in Nakuru, Kenya in Africa. Born in England in 1940, Combes moved at age six to a farm in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. He attended the Duke of York School in Nairobi.

Combes lived many lives over 64 years. He managed a 2,000 acre farm in Kenya; attended the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England; commanded Kenya’s parachute force; fought in a guerilla war against Somalia; and was assigned to train Uganda’s 4th KAR, which included the now-infamous Idi Amin– all of this before he dedicated himself full-time to painting.

As an artist and adventurer, Combes called to mind Indiana Jones. He often said one of his life’s aims was “to gather no moss.” He was once lost in a blizzard while crossing the Altai Mountains in Mongolia, air-lifted into the jungles of Venezuela, and sketched Bengal tigers in India from a howdah atop a swaying elephant. As a photographic safari guide in Africa, Simon searched for inspirations for his next painting. His art portrayed the grace, power and the mystery of the wild with an exacting technique of capturing detail. He became best known for his stunning images of the landscapes and wildlife of his beloved Africa. He achieved worldwide success and won many fine art awards –including the Society of Animal Artist’s Award of Excellence. He was chosen “Artist of the Year for the 1994 Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show. His paintings hang in private and museum collections around the globe. The Greenwich Workshop, Inc. has published him in limited edition prints and canvases since 1979, and published two books on his paintings.

Combes was not only a man of the arts, but an avid conservationist as well. He was recently appointed Kenya representative and Project Director for the Rhino Rescue Trust. He sat on the boards of several wildlife conservation organizations and raised, through his art, many thousands of dollars for their causes.

A Retrospective showing of Simon’s wildlife works was held at The Wildlife Experience museum in Parker, Colorado this past summer. The exhibition, Africa & Beyond: The Art and Adventures of Simon Combes (June 19 - October 3, 2004) was comprised of 71 paintings representing a cross-section of Simon’s work encompassing more than two decades. A 150-foot digital recreation of his painting, The Wildebeest Migration, forms a mural backdrop for the Africa Gallery at the Wildlife Experience Museum.

Survivors include: his wife, Kat Combes, son Guy Combes and daughter, Cindy Combes, all of Kenya and his former wife, Susie Combes of Bushley, United Kingdom.