As Shepherd’s favourite animal, elephants were the subject that the artist returned to most often for his wildlife pictures. Elephants of Samburu, is a powerful depiction of three adult African elephants set in the national reserve of Samburu in Kenya. Occupying the focal point of the work, the centrally depicted large bull elephant comes alive with the indication of movements such as the flapping of its ears, the waving of its trunk, and the stomping of its feet. This spectacle is a typical warning system used by elephants, who rely on their acute sense of smell to become aware of any possible danger. Facing directly towards us as the viewer, the bull’s gaze meets that of our own, which, when combined with the low viewpoint which the artist has adopted, works to visually describe the hair-raising experience of being faced with an agitated bull elephant in the wild; encounters which the artist was certainly familiar with, as pictured above. Employing his familiar optic technique, Shepherd has constructed his composition out of a multiple of sections that are each either in or out of focus, leading our attention towards the focal point which in turn renders the whole to appear as it would from life when seen through the human eye. The immediate foreground is rich in texture with thick impasto brushwork, a much desired and highly recognisable hallmark of Shepherd’s distinctive style.