Local creative consultancy QWERTY PR, is a passionate supporter of Samui Elephant Haven and has partnered with artists from around the world to create an elephant-themed colouring book for children and adults titled ‘The Painted Elephant’. The downloadable e-book and the limited edition print book will help bring awareness to the plight of elephants, raise funds necessary for more rescues to take place and the construction of additional safe enclosures for the ever-growing herd of elephants at the sanctuary. Artists are from all over the world, including England, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Cuba, Middle East, America and Indonesia have given their time and energetic passion to create an extraordinary masterpiece. Each artist also provided their favourite quote or poem.
SAMUI ELEPHANT HAVEN’S FAVOURITE POEM
“In the beginning of time, the skies were filled with flying elephants. Too heavy for their wings, they sometimes crashed through the trees and frightened other animals.
All the flying grey elephants migrated to the source of the Ganges. They agreed to renounce their wings and settle on the earth. When they molted millions of wings fell to the earth, the snow covered them, and the Himalayas were born.
The blue elephants landed in the sea and their wings became fins. They are the whales, the trunkless elephants of the oceans. Their cousins are the manatees, the trunkless elephants of the rivers.
The chameleon elephants kept their wings but agreed never to land on earth. They change colors of their feathers every day. Today they are azure, and when it rains they are the color of pearls.
When they go to sleep, the chameleon elephants always lie down in the same place in the sky and dream with one eye open. The stars you see at night are the unblinking eyes of sleeping elephants, who sleep with one eye open to best keep watch over us.”
― Gregory Colbert, Ashes and Snow: A Novel in Letters
It took a community to create such a masterpiece – the artists for all of their beautiful illustrations, QWERTY PR for the beautiful idea and collation of the ele’ good book, Heather Anderson for the stunning graphic design, Sungate Media and McGorie Design for piecing the book together and Mazoon Printing, Publishing & Advertising for printing the books.