Village Girl

acrylic on canvas
size: 24" x 36"

This young girl and her sister were walking from one village to another when they came across five men training two elephants. I don't know if it was the first time she had ever seen this brutal procedure, but she seemed as saddened by it as I was. One man sits on the elephants head and calls an order. The elephant is stabbed in the skull with a large knife until the man gets the proper response. She and her sister stood there as long as I did, half hoping the elephant would just behave, and the other half wondering why an animal so great in size wouldn't simply flip the guy off and sit on his head. The original was donated to the fundraising efforts of the Aids/Life Center in San Francisco. I have no idea where the piece ended up. If anyone out there has seen it, I would be curious to know who purchased it.