Title: Elephant Tree
Year: 2001
Size: 24x30”
Technique: Graphite and Charcoal

This piece shows, like a tapestry, we are all connected in some way that may not be obvi-ous. Then I realized this had a deeper for me. I made the Elephant Tree a tribute to my dad. The secondary title is: “Iche vil vissen, vin vonnette, defeese voxen, a Yiddish” ex-pression my dad taught me. The literal interpretation: The legs grow from the feet, and what it really means is describing someone who has the desire to have knowledge of something from the ground up and learn it inside out. My dad was like that. Elephants re-mind me of trees in that they have lived for so long and look out for one another as a family as do trees through their roots, and both have lived for thousands of years, the elephant figure is ancient. And elephants symbolize having a good memory, hence knowledge. Both can be amazing in shape and enormity. My dad had a photographic memory, was devoted to his family and reminded me of an elephant sometimes from be-hind.
The main visual similarities are the light grey tone, lines and wrinkles that are beautiful in their own way, branches that are so graceful and an elephant trunk is incredible and ap-pears like a branch from the main body.
Signed and numbered prints available.