Years ago, Simon Combes wrote in his diary: “‘Africa’s Elephants in Danger of Extinction!’ I was stunned by the cataclysmic headlines in 1989. With the elephants’ plight uppermost in my mind, I decided to paint as large a canvas as my small studio would accommodate. Visually, the painting would ask the question,‘Where are the elephants going?’ There must be uncertainty and bleakness to symbolize the imminent tragedy. “The line of elephants winds its way over the ridge, perhaps traveling from a lush valley into a dry, inhospitable environment ep. . .