Photo via Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project

One of my new favorite things is the elephant painting I bought last year. It hangs over the fireplace. It’s abstract art uses negative space to great effect. It was painted by a 25-year-old elephant named Jintara who lives in Thailand with a monk.

The Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project helps provide care for domesticated Asian elephants. Part of their mission is “promoting the paintings done by the elephants as a safe, creative alternative source of income to other activities many out-of-work elephants and their caretakers must resort to, such as illegal logging or begging for handouts on city streets.” To learn more about the plight of Asian elephants and why they need human help go here.

The artist bios on the site read like those at any other gallery, except these artists are elephants. One of the reasons I chose my piece is because Jintara, the artist, dances while she paints (pictured above). Some of the paintings are huge, perfect for loft-dwellers or startup offices. Because the organization is a nonprofit the purchase of a painting is tax deductible. It’s framed and matted and one day when it isn’t so dark in here I’ll share a photo of how awesome it looks.