A very special wedding present (elephant art taken to the next level)
My Dad always told me that it was worth getting married if only for the party and for the presents, though that wasn't the reason we took the plunge he was surely right - we garnered a vast array of amazing things from around the world, too many to go into detail and I won't mention one for fear of forgetting the others; that said, however, only one came with a set of photographs charting the process of creation (actually not true, Dad's present for Aoy also did), only one fits into this blog.
Elephant Painting has a short but glorious history. First performed in the Lampang school, under the guidance of Richard Lair who also directs the Elephant Orchestra there, the Lampang elephants at the TECC are abstract artists creating masterpieces that have impressed the art world and kept auctioneers busy in New York and London.
Several years later with the Lampang school in high renown it is worth mentioning that a definite new school of landscape and realist, or even impressionist, paintings has developed around the Northern capital of Chiang Mai - this school is now set to rock the cat walk in London, New York and Milan with their paintings on the finest Thai silks being made into designer clothes under the watchful eye of the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project's founder and driver Khun Anchalee Kalmapijit...
...and it is K. Anchalee's present that this blog is all about. No she hasn't got me dressed up in flowery silks quite yet but she presented us with an acrylic on canvas masterpiece entitled "Grown Love" and painted by the elephant artists Plai Jaab and Pang Hong together with the human artist Khun Tossapol Petchrattanakool.
Once you've got over Aoy's beauty and the fact that I'm in a suit (& tie) take a look at the amazing painting and gasp... "did an elephant really paint that?" ...well everyone must gasp the same as K. Anchalee provided us with a CD of photo's covering the artistic process...
...as ever, we start with a blank canvas (literally enough)...
...foundation is applied...
...colour is mixed (this seems to be the human part of the process - would eles plump for too much pink?)....
...and notes are compared!
...if there is a fly in the ointment it is removed...
...and the process continues...
...artistic collaboration? But I get the distinct impression from the roll in Jaab's eye that perhaps it is not appreciated - who's painting this, me or you?
...but art is about love and all is well that ends well.
...and end well it does!
Thanks from Aoy and I to Pang Hong, Plai Jaab, K. Tossapol and K. Anchalee - we'll treasure it forever!
Elephant Painting has a short but glorious history. First performed in the Lampang school, under the guidance of Richard Lair who also directs the Elephant Orchestra there, the Lampang elephants at the TECC are abstract artists creating masterpieces that have impressed the art world and kept auctioneers busy in New York and London.
Several years later with the Lampang school in high renown it is worth mentioning that a definite new school of landscape and realist, or even impressionist, paintings has developed around the Northern capital of Chiang Mai - this school is now set to rock the cat walk in London, New York and Milan with their paintings on the finest Thai silks being made into designer clothes under the watchful eye of the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project's founder and driver Khun Anchalee Kalmapijit...
...and it is K. Anchalee's present that this blog is all about. No she hasn't got me dressed up in flowery silks quite yet but she presented us with an acrylic on canvas masterpiece entitled "Grown Love" and painted by the elephant artists Plai Jaab and Pang Hong together with the human artist Khun Tossapol Petchrattanakool.
Once you've got over Aoy's beauty and the fact that I'm in a suit (& tie) take a look at the amazing painting and gasp... "did an elephant really paint that?" ...well everyone must gasp the same as K. Anchalee provided us with a CD of photo's covering the artistic process...
...as ever, we start with a blank canvas (literally enough)...
...foundation is applied...
...colour is mixed (this seems to be the human part of the process - would eles plump for too much pink?)....
...and notes are compared!
...if there is a fly in the ointment it is removed...
...and the process continues...
...artistic collaboration? But I get the distinct impression from the roll in Jaab's eye that perhaps it is not appreciated - who's painting this, me or you?
...but art is about love and all is well that ends well.
...and end well it does!
Thanks from Aoy and I to Pang Hong, Plai Jaab, K. Tossapol and K. Anchalee - we'll treasure it forever!
Dear John,
I have many photoes for you, Thanks for the presentation in Bangkok tomorrow and also the news on the website, please let me know if you need anymore info. about the project.
Regards,
Anchalee
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Dear John,
I really like this picture !!!
Big Thank you to Khun Anchalee!
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I have received an e-mail from Barbara lee - Blink Television London, the film " Elephants-Extraordinary Animals will be shown on Channel 5 on 2nd January 2008 at 07.30pm.
Hong, who painted your present, will be featured in this show.
Hope you all enjoy your Holiday Seasons.
Best wishes,
Anchalee Kalmapijit
Maetaman Elephant Camp
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