They might see you, but you don't see them. While roaming through the forests, I often think of these creatures, lovingly called "wizard of the forest", thanks to its fluffy brush-like ears and pointy beard. The name of Europes biggest cat originates in the latin word lynx meaning "white, light, bright", due to their glowing eyes and ability to see in the dark.
Rarely spotted by the eyes of the wanderer, the lynx is not shy but prefers to avoid human contact. It relies on its camouflage and has a short escape distance, therefore it might appear familiar when it encounters people.
In Austria live only 15 to 35 lynx in 4 populations, one of them being around my home. Lynx were reintroduced into Kalkalpen National Park several years ago, as part of a project to return the lynx to the Alps.
Once common across Europe, the lynx was hunted to near extinction by humans for its fur. Nowadays it is slowly returning to the forests it originally inhabited centuries ago. May these majestic cats live and thrive once again in our forests!
Wizards of the Forest
30x40cm
Oil on gessobord
2023
