Beautifully Ugly

Charcoal on paper · A2

Original available

Warthogs have amused me ever since I was a child growing up in South Africa. I loved watching them rush about, their tails sticking straight up like aerials on old cars.

I also remember being told a story called “Why Warthog Is So Ugly.” In the tale, warthog begins life as a fine-looking but rather vain pig. A lesson involving a great many porcupine quills changes his appearance forever. That childhood memory (and the warthog’s unmistakable character) inspired Beautifully Ugly.