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Last year, I embarked on the creation of the Ivory Elder piece, inspired by a photograph I had captured in Mombasa, Kenya. The subject, an elder elephant adorned with scars, bore witness to the passage of many years. Among the elephants I encountered that day, his visage uniquely told a tale of a life richly experienced – one marked by both pain and beauty. Despite the myriad scars, there was a serenity in his eyes that spoke of inner peace.
As I delved into painting this majestic creature, I found myself navigating my own journey of recovery from health issues, grappling with moments of physical pain. Remarkably, the elephant became a silent companion in my healing process. I took a pause in the midst of portraying him, but after a few months, I felt compelled to retrieve the unfinished piece and bring it to completion.