It’s been several weeks now since artist Clara returned from a brief leave-of-absence from the studio that included a trip of a lifetime to Africa! After gathering up a selection of her photos from the trip, she wanted to share some of that experience with her fans. 

[I went to] South Africa and a little bit of the West. [I went with] my sister, my father, my stepmother.

[The weather was] really warm. You know, it’s funny, it is warm there, but the breeze was kinda chilly, It was really nice and warm, though.

The food was really good.I did a lot of walking, We saw the elephants, the elephants and the giraffes and the zebras… Also a hippo, and the real ugly ones, rhinos.

I really wanted to see a cheetah but we didn’t see one.

[Seeing penguins was] pretty awesome. If I go back I want to see an elephant or a cheetah more. The baby penguins are cute, and the adult ones. The seals were awesome, though. [My favorite animals were] the elephants mostly, and the giraffes and zebras. The ostriches are pretty but they kind of scare you.

Clara working on a newer piece featuring, you guessed it, elephants.

I’d rather spend more time in Africa, but I’d rather spend my life in South Carolina more, or Richmond.

Yes [I felt inspired by my trip]. Well, I did have a lot of fun.