The Elephant Sanctuary

Pictured above, from the left, "Forgiveness," "Love," and "Innocence," original paintings commissioned as reflection on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to The Elephant Nature Park, an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of reproductions of this special project will be donated to The Elephant Nature Park to help continue their legacy - please read more below. Each commission project is a deeply personal journey shared between myself and my client, as they communicate their unique relationship with the subject matter, and I capture the physical and emotional likeness in paint. A recent commission involving elephants went entirely beyond the realm of what I typically learn and experience while collaborating with my collector. As usual, the project began with an explanation of why - why did my collector want these paintings? "V" told me about her lifelong fascination with these animals, and then invited me to travel virtually as she visited the Elephant Nature Park last year in Thailand. I soaked up her photos and diary entries in real time, and found myself immersed in the colors and textures of a culture - and, until now, an animal - mostly unfamiliar to me. I fell in love with their stories and presence - elephants express an intimate and complex range of emotions very similar to humans. I was fascinated to learn more about their family dynamics, and excited to start the paintings and spend time in quiet meditation with them. While researching, I became aware of the unique plight when, for a variety of reasons, elephants in captivity can no longer be managed. Ethical animal welfare is complicated enough with respect to dogs, cats or horses - imagine the logistics involved when the creature being re-homed is 12,000 pounds! It's a challenge equivalent to the elephants' size. So when finalizing the details of Vs commission, I asked how she felt about offering a limited number of prints, with the proceeds directly benefitting Elephant Nature Park. V was delighted. So here you go: this is a direct link to order reproductions. These images will only be available for the next 30 days. I have set up each of the pieces individually and one composition including all three. You may order artist quality prints and reproductions on a variety of surfaces, as well as various textiles and objects. At the end of the 30 Days, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Elephant Nature Park, home of the elephants who inspired these paintings, so they can continue to offer quality and ethical care to their elephants. I'm looking forward to sharing the dollars raised with you. Thanks, as always, for following along with my art journey, And for having hearts large enough to care for the variety of life we share our earth with. Warmly, Kim