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Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
You notice first the quiet authority in the cat’s pose — alert, turned as if it has just finished a careful survey and now acknowledges your presence. The landscape around it is broad and sunlit, a sweep of golden grass and distant blue hills that gives the figure room to breathe and feel solitary rather than threatened. Subtle reduction of the usual spotted pattern makes the animal feel both familiar and uncanny; it reads as a rare, almost ghostly presence against the warm palette of earth and sky. Combes has placed a pale moon low in the atmosphere and suggested human encroachment on the ridge, which adds a bittersweet layer: beauty and vigilance alongside a hint of vulnerability. The brushwork is attentive to texture — the rough rocks, the fine grasses, the cat’s lean musculature — so the scene feels tangible and lived-in. It’s a work that balances admiration for the animal’s grace with a quiet reminder about the fragility of its world.
The Artwork
About Phantom
Phantom<br> MASTERWORK CANVAS EDITION
Guy Combes’ Phantom reveals something not seen in East Africa for over 90 years, a rare “morph” cheetah. Not an albino cheetah, it is rather one with an extremely rare genetic color variation significantly reducing its number of spots. Guy was the first to photograph and paint the great cat. The last morph cheetah known to man was shot in Tanzania in 1921. Guy’s urgency to paint it had several motivations: to heighten awareness of its existence and to encourage monitoring and protecting it.
The area where it was discovered is home to one of the highest cheetah populations in East Africa. Important factors to the population size are the lack of larger predators that could threaten their existence, a large prey base and an area relatively protected from new development. This, of course, is the greatest problem that cheetahs face and Combes has faintly suggested an encroaching settlement complete with cell phone tower on the ridge in the middle distance. Beyond are Kenya’s Ngong Hills.
A setting full moon and the rising sun are intentionally symbolic here. The moon represents Artemis, the goddess of animals and forests and the sun, Apollo, the god of arts. The title, Phantom, suggests an elusive, mythical entity that exists somewhere between night and day.
For ways you can help protect this rare morph cheetah go to Action for Cheetahs in Kenya http://www.actionforcheetahs.org/ or Athi Kapiti Conservancy http://cheetah.wildlifedirect.org/
The area where it was discovered is home to one of the highest cheetah populations in East Africa. Important factors to the population size are the lack of larger predators that could threaten their existence, a large prey base and an area relatively protected from new development. This, of course, is the greatest problem that cheetahs face and Combes has faintly suggested an encroaching settlement complete with cell phone tower on the ridge in the middle distance. Beyond are Kenya’s Ngong Hills.
A setting full moon and the rising sun are intentionally symbolic here. The moon represents Artemis, the goddess of animals and forests and the sun, Apollo, the god of arts. The title, Phantom, suggests an elusive, mythical entity that exists somewhere between night and day.
For ways you can help protect this rare morph cheetah go to Action for Cheetahs in Kenya http://www.actionforcheetahs.org/ or Athi Kapiti Conservancy http://cheetah.wildlifedirect.org/
Collector Details
What to Know About This Piece
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About the Collection
Guy Combes is a renowned wildlife artist celebrated for his realistic paintings of African wildlife. Born in Kenya in 1971, he is the son of the esteemed artist Simon Combes. Guy's work intricately portrays the beauty and complexity of animals in their natural habitats, reflecting his deep commitment to conservation and environmental advocacy. He is actively involved with the Soysambu Conservancy in Kenya, dedicating efforts to habitat preservation. His art not only captivates viewers but also raises awareness about the importance of protecting wildlife and their ecosystems. Guy's paintings are featured in galleries and exhibitions worldwide, solidifying his place in contemporary wildlife art.
Artist Signature
Signed by the artist
This piece is artist signed and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Guy Combes.
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Authenticity & Documentation
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GUY COMBES was born in Kenya in 1971, the son of the late wildlife artist, Simon Combes. At the age of eight, Guy moved to school in England for the remainder of his education. His interest in art developed throughout this schooling and at home where he began to learn technique from his father. After school he started at Cheltenham Art College where he experimented further with visual creativity in sculpture and three dimensional design, and then went on to study interior design at the Inchbald in London. Guy returned to Kenya in 1992 and spent the following eight years between there and England.
In 2001 Guy moved to Soysambu, a 48000 acre ranch in the Rift Valley where his father was living with his second wife, Kat. Here Guy took on a management job at a tourist camp and worked towards an exhibition of paintings depicting the Swahili Coast, inspired by a visit to Zanzibar. The exhibition was at Peponi Hotel in Lamu and sold out. Guy then began working towards another exhibition in Nairobi and this was also successful.
Since then Guy has been concentrating full time on painting, exhibiting and visiting various trade shows around the US. He intends to pursue painting as a career while helping with various conservation issues in Kenya, the most important of these being the development of Soysambu ranch into a protected conservancy, which will guarantee an essential wildlife corridor in the spectacular Rift Valley.
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