My third trip to Masae Elephant Camp to paint with an elephant yielded my favorite painting to date.
I was assigned a new elephant, Pangkwan. At ten, he is the same age as Thongpetch who I painted with on two previous trips. But Thongpetch no longer enjoys painting with anyone besides his mahout so they have retired him from the painting program.
On the last day of my three day trip, I ran into Thongpetch and his mahout. When I offered Thongpetch almonds, imported from California, he seemed to remember me and started searching me for more treats. So happy that we are still friends.
On prior trips, I had painted the same painting with Thongpetch, so this time I decided to try something different, a view of Mt Tam from my Mill Valley, CA home.
After sketching a version of the painting and blocking in the colors, I started by mixing the colors (non-toxic acrylic paints), applying the color to a brush and then pointing on the canvas where I wanted Pangkwan to paint and what kind of stroke to use.
Pangkwan painting with Carol Jacobsen
