Elephants on parade

A commissioned oil pastel painting exploring movement, color, and density in a herd of young African elephants at the watering hole.

Oil pastel on paper, 30 × 22 in.

Original drawing in Royal Talens sketchbook

This piece started as a sketchbook drawing I shared on Instagram—a looser study of African elephants done in oil pastel. A collector reached out after seeing it, and this larger commissioned drawing grew from there.

I was originally drawn to the subject for its shapes and movement. The curve of the trunks, the overlap of bodies, the way everything compresses and pushes forward. There’s a frenetic energy in the young elephants gathering at a watering hole. Playful, chaotic, but still rhythmic.

Color became a big part of the exploration. The palette is intentionally unexpected - clashing even, leaning into saturated violets, ochres, oranges, and blues to push the scene beyond realism and into something more expressive.

The final piece builds on that density. Marks stay visible, color layers stack, and the underlying drawing remains present throughout. I wanted to hold onto the immediacy of the original sketch while expanding its scale and intensity.