Roof of the World, 2009

Roof of the World, 2009
oil on belgian linen
24 x 36 in
(60.96h x 91.44w cm)
SOLD

Left to right, Eric Stumberg, Saeed Khan, John Banovich, and Colonel Fayyaz in Hunza, Pakistan, 2008

John Banovich Karakorum Mountains, Pakistan 2008

This magical place is called the roof of the world for good reason. I hiked daily to 14000 feet looking out over the steep valleys , know that this elusive beast was about there, haunted my creative mind nightly. I feel this series of snow leopards will prove to be some of my best. - Karakorum Mountains, Pakistan 2008

John Banovich, 14,000 feet looking for snow leopards in the Karakorum Mountains, Pakistan 2008

This journey to Pakistan has been truly an awakening for me. Although we didn’t see a snow leopard in person I know they saw me. Each day we were greeted with fresh tracks, scat and scent marking. I gathered enough insight to create an important series of works. - Karakorum Mountains, Pakistan 2008

John Banovich, Snow Leopard Research Trip, Pakistan, 2008

In 2008 Banovich trekked through the high mountains of Pakistan researching the Snow Leopard.

"This image was taken at 14,000 feet while my two guides and I were returning back to camp trying to keep our footing downhill through the rock slides. Too Fun!!!" John Banovich

Snow leopards live in some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. Short, powerful limbs, long heavy tails for balance and thinkc, warm coats enable them to navigate this rugged environment where they live at elevations as high as eighteen hundreed feet. Only active from dusk until dawn, these shy, solitary creatures sport spotted gray fur that blends perfectly with their surroundings. This beautiful cat's territory spns most of Central Asia's large mountain ranges but it was in the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan where I encountered a maginificent landscape filled with evidence of the snow leopard's presence. Like all great cats, snow leopards are impressive hunters, preying on markhor, ibex, blue sheep, marmots, hares, game birds and occasionally livestock. In 2009, with a population estimated between three and seven thousand, they are one of the rarest cats on earth.

Description

Roof of the World, 2009
oil on belgian linen
24 x 36 in
(60.96h x 91.44w cm)
SOLD

This journey to Pakistan has been truly an awakening for me. Although we didn’t se a snow leopard in person I know they saw me. Each day we were greeted with fresh tracks, scat and scent marking. Enough insight to create an important series of works.

This magical place is called the roof of the world for good reason. I hiked daily to 14000 feet looking out over the steep valleys , know that this elusive beast was about there, haunted my creative mind nightly. I feel this series of snow leopards will prove to be some of my best.

Karakorum Mountains, Pakistan, 2008