Contemplating Existence by Colleen Thompson. All Rights Reserved. What experience can be memorable than an encounter with a mountain gorilla? Rwanda is blessed to be among the few countries that happen to be a home to the few remaining mountain gorillas in the world. There are thought to be around only 1000 mountain gorillas’ worldwide today and all found in small areas of East Africa straddling the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo with none in the Zoo.

The name of this painting is ‘Contemplating Existence’ which I was fortunate to have the opportunity to paint this 13x20 watercolor from a magical photo taken by my dear friend Patty Pruden Lennox. This is a male Silverback Virunga Mountain gorilla, the patriarch of one of 11 families in those Rwanda mountains. I wanted to portray a whimsical storybook image of vulnerability no matter of your size.

My hopes are to bring attention to the real threat of humans poaching, diseases like Ebola, and climate change which is depleting their existence.