What Color Are Elephants In Thailand?

Elephants in Thailand.....I have seen them in single shades of color, I have seen them in a multitude of rainbow hues and I have even seen them in a cacophony of coloured dots like psychedelic measles!.

But what have I seen?

A house point is awarded to all of you that said that the answer is “The different trunks of elephants in Thailand that paint pictures at the Painting School” The Painting School is attached to the Royal Elephant Palace and Kraal in Ayutthaya.

The School mentally challenges the elephants and their mahouts which results in an outpouring of ever more creative painting. The works of the Pachyderm Picassos are then sold to help support themselves and the other elephants here at the Kraal. The paintings are done on hand made paper from recycled dung; the elephants make the dung and we make the paper; all on site!.

The trunks belong to six young elephants in thailand aged between 4 and 13 years young; they each have differing painting styles.For instance Noppakhao, a 7 year old male with his mahout, Pat have developed a very mannered style of artwork with much of his artwork coming from his surroundings in the form of flowers and landscapes.

Noppakhao has even painted his elephant friends in a variety of poses; mainly side and rear view and often painting them wandering in an ideal countryside of flowers and trees with a warming sun and summer clouds overhead.

Ging Gaow on the other tusk, with Nigh, his mahout, as artistic director loves the abstract work of Jackson Pollack and strives to emulate him whenever the opportunity arises but where Pollack was a heavy drinker of whisky, Ging Gaow is tee-total.

Ging Gaow’s splash work is actually my own favourite art style of all the elephants in Thailand, but it is a hard choice to make. Ee, with his tuskless male elephant Boonlot love strong, bright colours and bold brush strokes when they paint.

Boonlot would be a more prolific painter if he didn’t keep putting his brushes down every time music is played on the radio and then starts up his dancing routine, not quite as light on his feet as an Astaire or Gene Kelly but entertaining to watch. I think the young pachyderm is a frustrated disco dancer in the same vein as John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

Kam Lai Tong and mahout Ram are a versatile union and can paint in virtually any style that you ask, loving both the abstract form as well as real life, sometimes combining the two.

Mahout Jay and the slow but strong male Yodyeam love doing organic abstracts; Yodyeam’s enthusiasm with the brush when painting generally means that his trunk ends up as the colour combo of the day.

Phetmanee, our first baby born here under the breeding programme in February 2000, comes from a family of painters; mum and elder sister Kamlaiphet and Kamlaithong respectfully both being accomplished artists in their own right.

Mee, her mahout has an irresistible sense of humour which has rubbed off onto Phetmanee and the fun they have together can be seen in their paintings.

OK, you might think, I have read about and seen elephants and monkeys painting pictures; but how about elephants in Thailand that had their own fashion show in the Big Apple!

Five of our ‘stars’, were given the task of painting Thai silks and other fabrics to be made up into fashion garments by a team of 18 noted designers and then auctioned at ‘The Trunk Show” in New York in 2008. The combined efforts of elephant and designer were totally inspired.

Even a Stratocaster guitar was donated to be decorated by our artists and auctioned. Now that was unique.

Our elephant painters here at the Elephant Painting School are available to paint anything on anything you would care to imagine.

For more information and pictures please check our website at Elephantstay.

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