A DREAM – A DESIRE – AND A RANDOM INVITATION,
I have always been enchanted by elephants
Their slow deliberate gate, their mass, the knowledge that there is an enlightenment about them that can only be measured by the full scale of their existence. Massive, gentle, nurturing beings far beyond the history of humanity.
I know I have always wanted to paint elephants, but never wanted to borrow the reference imagery from someone else. I knew if I wanted to paint them, I had to go to Africa and walk amongst them-to immerse myself in the vibration of their step. And the intention was cast…
Dear friends of mine, who just finished building their home on the edge of the Maasai Mara, invited me as their inaugural guest and to paint and celebrate their new adventure. Grabbing my gear I was off to ancient land, where everything came from…the romance was born.
When the sun rose over the ridges, the elephants began their morning journey down from the protection of the trees. Down they slowly moved to the flatlands that were slowly becoming bathed in golden morning light, something awakened in me. The awe of it was far beyond my ability to contain my gratitude for that single moment. All I wanted to do is paint, and to filter this awe through my hands and onto linen.
This series is a memory, a romance, and a contemplation on everything I hold sacred.
