At the end of April, before big Stone Rosie was delivered, a small parcel arrived...
... containing a very sweet, small white elephant, 20 cm high, resting on a bed of bright pink foam chunks, primed and ready to be painted with the intricate design I blithely submitted to Elephant Parade earlier in the year.
So after a brief exploration of my house and a quick trip outdoors to see the dandelions in the garden...
... the painting began. It has to be said, when I first had the idea of decorating the elephant with the Rose and Heart stained-glass windows from York Minster as seen from the inside looking out, I thought it would be just the big one. I never imagined the design scaled down to this size...
... and wondered if I could actually do it, especially as after a few days my eyes seemed to be going crossed with all the very close peering at the tip of a number 1 sable brush, whilst the kitchen table disappeared under the piles of painting paraphernalia.
But slowly, pane by pane, the little tinker gained her decorations, side to side, front and back, rosy cheeks, golden toenails and heavenly blue eyes, till she was revealed in all her jewel like glory.
I always knew that one day I would have to send Mini Rosie away. She was bound for Thailand where a team of dedicated Elephant Parade artists would replicate her to raise funds to ensure real life Asian Elephants continue to exist. In the meantime though ...
... it seemed only fair to take Mini Rosie on a trip up the hill to the painting studio at Wainsgate Chapel in Old Town, where her big sister had recently been installed amidst much commotion, and where she could experience the lustrous effects of light glowing through stained glass, the very medium that had inspired her creation!
But alas the day of parting finally came. Resplendent Rosie bade a fond farewell to the botanical delights of Spring Grove...
... shed a pearl-like tear of elephantine sorrow,
retired to her bed of pink foam chunks in the cardboard chamber,
And disappeared for ever.
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