The magnificent animal, that is the elephant, was the subject of this acrylic piece – it was the first creation made with acrylic paints.
Pastel chalk was proving to be fun and could produce some decent creations with them, but I wanted to explore further in the art world and so invested in a set of acrylic paints.
As you are probably beginning to piece together, looking back through photos from previous months and years is always a good past-time. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to go on safari across southern Africa with my grandad. The GCSE exam season had just finished and the trip was one that will stay with in my memory forever.
The trip was for two weeks and started in Johannesburg and ventured north to Botswana and Zambia then returning back through Botswana and South Africa, to Johannesburg. Some of the incredible places the trip saw included:
- Khama Rhino Sanctuary – an animal reserve that is dedicated to the rhino and it’s consveration after being extinct in Botswana on two different occasions
- The Okovango Delta – the world’s largest inland delta that’s flooded from the rainwater from the Angolan mountains, flowing into the Okovango River. The delta can also be seen from space, during the flood season
- Victoria Falls – the non-stop, thunderous curtain of water that flows at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Chobe National Park – a national park located in north-west Botswana and the only place where a leopard was seen on the trip
- Polokwane – the largest city in north South Africa and also is at an altitude of 1,310m above sea level
The elephant in this creation was seen at a stop on the trip – Elephant Sands in Botswana. Elephant Sands is a campsite location, in northern Botswana, where it houses an artifical watering hole for elephants, primarily, and other animals.
Elephants were causing issued with the regular plumbing in the area of northern Botswana in their search for water. So, the owners of Elephant Sands decided to install an artifical watering hole that is filled up daily for the animals that visit.
This creation shows the african elephant stood in front of the accompanying mud bath near the watering hole.
The piece was the first one that had been completed using acrylic and was a test of mixing colours to get the shading and highlights that can be seen in the piece. Overall, even with the elephant being grey, the creation is quite a bright offering.
This blog post is available in audio as a podcast and can be found here: The Striding Elephant audio
Artwork in Progress 