Canvas Safari

I've always wanted to travel in Africa, but so far the closest I've come was last weekend, when I viewed friends' slides from South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. There were photos of elephants, giraffes and impalas, even a close-up of a leopard in mid-stride. The tensest moment of the trip...

By Megan Feldman

April 3, 2008

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I've always wanted to travel in Africa, but so far the closest I've come was last weekend, when I viewed friends' slides from South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. There were photos of elephants, giraffes and impalas, even a close-up of a leopard in mid-stride. The tensest moment of the trip came when their 4X4 crossed paths with a hyena chasing a baby impala and they watched the scavenger shake it to death, glancing at the tourists with what seemed like a triumphant grin. Those who are as Africa-obsessed but can't find the time or money to fly to Dar Es Salaam might check out Wild West, an exhibition of new paintings from Jennifer Morgan's We're All Pink series. The series features safari animals superimposed on swimming backgrounds of texture and color. Zebras sprint across canvases of red paint, a male lion rules a red and yellow square in "Leo Rising," and a caribou seems to pose in "Serengeti." Not all the animals in Morgan's paintings are African, however—in "Flora and Fauna—the Storm," a buck looks straight ahead, its antlers exploding in orange flowers against a purple background. The show is at BarBelmont in the Belmont Hotel, 901 Fort Worth Ave., through June 2. Visit belmontdallas.com or jennifermorgan.net.
April 4-June 2, 2008

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