Unframed Canvas Print: “Tim”, one of the last and largest of the giant tuskers

Tim was an African elephant,
(Loxodonta africana), and one of the few remaining giant tuskers, so-called because their tusks almost reach the ground. According to the Tsavo Trust, there are only around 20 giant tuskers left in the world today, as they are challenged by habitation compression, conflict with local farmers and poachers.
Big Tim was beloved by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and was a major attraction at Amboseli, his home for 50 years. He was, according to Amboseli gamekeepers “intelligent, mischievous, and good-natured – a genuine gentle giant”, which I can attest to from my many hours in his company, feeding him peaches and peanuts while I sketched him.
Despite years of near-misses, from farmers and poachers, he died of natural causes in March 2020.

About the painting
I started by arranging the David Yarrow image on my laptop in Photoshop, trying out different sizes and colors of the background panel, which, as usual is drawn to golden ration dimensions (1: 1.618). I extended and curled the trunk, but the rest of the image is fairly faithful to David’s photo. The reference photo was black and white but I wanted to capture late afternoon, early sunset golden amber hues to highlight the bumps and ridges that characterize Tim’s features.
I then did a series of small-scale studies to establish palette and make final paper selection.
I only used three brushes for the entire painting, my Marie’s #6 pointed round synthetic sable (which comes to such a fine point, and holds so much media, that it is ideal for even hyper-fine details such as the skin pebbling between each wrinkle), and my Loew-Cornell 1″ oval flat, for larger washes. I used a 2″ Princeton synthetic mottler for the background wash, which I was unhappy with as it kept shedding black bristles everywhere!
The pebbled texture was achieved by liberally sprinkling sea salt over very wet washes of color, then overpainting the resulting texture with fine lines to accentuate pebbling and define larger wrinkles and cracks.
I used Lanaquarelle 300 lb rough, from Legion Paper, after testing 7 different high-end watercolor papers to see which best suited my techniques of large, smooth gradient washes, wet-on-wet, deliberate blooms, seas salt application, multiple layers of glazing and spot lifting. The paints were David Smith Finest Watercolors, using only 5 colors: Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Umber and Indian Ochre. it is a “pure” watercolor (no white or opaque pigments were used, so all the wrinkle and pebbled skin details are built up from dark to light, leaving the white paper to form the highlights.)
The painting took approx.. 160 hours over two weeks, and won the Artists for Conservation Pollyanna Pickering Award for “Best Depiction of an Endangered Species, in the juried exhibition, 2021. It was one of 12 artworks selected for the AFC 2022 calendar.

About my commitment to conservation
25% of all proceeds from “Tim” art and merchandise is donated to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which focuses on African elephants, giraffes and rhinos, in Kenya. Their innovative and effective conservation programmes include anti-poaching units, mobile veterinary units, aerial surveillance units along with their globally recognized orphans’ project. They are world renown for African elephant conservation, and hold the highest ratings possible for transparency from Charity Navigator and GuideStar.
“Sheldrick Wildlife Trust works to address the sustainability of wildlife conservation in Kenya, notably through the preservation of wild species such as elephants, rhino, giraffe, and other indigenous species to the area. Our Trust works to ensure that individual lives of elephants who are compromised are given the opportunity to enter rehabilitation and afforded a second chance in the wild when able. Due to the increasing incidents of poaching, human wildlife conflict, habitat loss and climate change, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust aims to mitigate the pressures exerted on wildlife by effectively providing services in the areas of de-snaring units, aerial surveillance, mobile veterinary units, community outreach and education, as well as our Orphans’ Project.”

Style rooms with this slimmer-than-ever thin canvas! Order it and hang it straight away with built-in wall mounts and rubber pads on the back ready to protect against damage.
• 0.75″ (19.05 mm) thick canvas
• Canvas fabric weight: 10.15 +/- 0.74 oz/yd² (344 g/m² +/- 25g/m²)
• Wall mounts attached
• Rubber pads on the back to avoid damage
• Slimmer than regular canvases

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years
Other compliance information: Meets the lead level requirements.

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Oak inc. and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at 123 Main Street, Anytown, Country or Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.