duncan redpath - professional artist

Elephant Paintings

'OUT OF AFRICA' - SOLD

'OUT OF AFRICA' - SOLD

by Duncan Redpath

Original Pastel Pencil Drawing on Acrylic Painted Canvas Board.

Framed

Unframed Size: 76.2cm 50.8cm

An African Elephant emerging from the water in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

The African Elephant is the largest living land mammal, one of the most impressive animals on earth. An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer.

Elephants are excellent swimmers. Elephants are capable of pulling up to 11.5 liters (3 gallons) of water into the trunk to be sprayed into the mouth for drinking or onto the back for bathing.

By far the largest populations of elephants are now found in Southern and Eastern Africa, which together account for the majority of the continental population.

'YOUNG BULL'

'YOUNG BULL'

by Duncan Redpath

Original Pastel Pencil Drawing on Acrylic Painted Canvas Board.

Framed: 93cm x 68.5cm

An African Elephant seen head on in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

African elephants are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways, the most noticeable being their ears.

The large flapping ears of an elephant are very important for temperature regulation. On hot days, elephants will flap their ears constantly, creating a slight breeze. This breeze cools the surface blood vessels, and then the cooler blood gets circulated to the rest of the animal's body.

African elephant ears are much larger than Asian elephants and are shaped - some note - like the continent of their origin. Africans originated and stayed near the equator, where it is warmer. Therefore, they have bigger ears to keep cool.

'ON THE MARCH'

'ON THE MARCH'

by Duncan Redpath

Original Pencil Drawing

Framed: 57cm x 47cm

A South African Elephant on the march in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

Walking at a normal pace an elephant covers about 2 to 4 miles an hour (3 to 6 km/h) but they can reach 24 miles an hour (40 km/h) at full speed.

An elephant is a good swimmer and climber, but it can neither trot, jump, nor gallop. It does have two gaits: a walk, and a faster gait that shares characteristics with running.

The faster gait does not meet the usual definition of running, as they always have at least one foot on the ground. However an elephant moving fast uses its legs like a running animal does, with the hips and shoulders falling and then rising while the feet are on the ground.