Although English by birth, Brooke has spent decades in his beloved Kenya: “It was wonderful returning to Kenya—it was like returning to my childhood. I could rest my eyes in the middle distance and relax.”

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Although English by birth, Brooke has spent decades in his beloved Kenya: “It was wonderful returning to Kenya—it was like returning to my childhood. I could rest my eyes in the middle distance and relax.” 

Working en plein air, Brooke seeks out the drama and beauty of this most beautiful of African countries. He is well aware that much that he loves aboutAfrica is fragile, endangered. In "Cheetahs," with the sparest of brushstrokes, Brooke conveys the dignity, speed, and tragedy of the cheetah, the world’s most endangered big cat species.

Brooke is best known to the world for the twenty-seven paintings he created on the set for the film Out of Africa.  The entire collection is now on permanent exhibition at the elegant Norfolk Hotel inNairobi.

Brooke's painting style, which incorporates strong brushwork as well as the skilled use of bright colors is utterly unique.  His paintings demonstrate his ability to discover the essence of his subject—the annual drama of rain and drought, swirling dust, huge skies, the Maasai herding their goats, and of course the wildlife,

In "Heat Shimmer," the blue, blue African sky is dotted with the whitest of clouds, while the acacia trees in this pure landscape do indeed seem to shimmer in the mid-day heat.  Bits of sand from the sun-baked desert are literally embedded in the clouds above. 

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