DIFFERENT STROKES FOR JAMMIN' GIANTS

At the academy, the elephant trainer, or mahout, usually begins by giving an elephant a brush and paint, then placing a blank piece of paper on the ground in front of him. He then guides the trunk toward the paint and makes patterns on the paper. The elephant will usually show interest right away or not at all. To keep the paper clean, the trainer, eventually, places it up on low angled easels and gradually raises it as the elephant adjusts. Artistically inclined elephants can turn out amazing pieces the first day.

It's little wonder that some of them take so quickly to paintbrushes and drumsticks. Elephants have been observed, voluntarily, using rocks and sticks to doodle in the dirt and to use tree branches to swat flies. With small "fingers" at the tips of their trunks, elephants are capable of great dexterity and can pick up objects as tiny as a pin. As many as 10% of them hold brushes and drumsticks to display artistic and musical talent. Young elephants appear to catch on more quickly than older elephants, and more Asian elephants than African elephants seem to enjoy painting.

Just as with human artists, each elephant has his own distinctive style with an emotional quality as well. For instance, Nom Chak, a young male will paint only if he can use a house brush and doesn't stop until the whole canvas is covered. Pratida, whose name means "princess", makes diagonal lines with slow, deliberate strokes and never paints in the top two corners. Khang always uses vertical strokes and prefers reds, blues and greens with a touch of silver or gold. Some elephants paint with slow, deliberate concentration while Arum, a 29-year-old elephant in Indonesia, paints so vigorously that he sometimes upsets his easel. It has been noted that elephants with pasts of abuse sometimes express themselves in a more boisterous manner, perhaps releasing hostility. Sometimes colors in elephant art seem to reflect the elephant's surroundings such as grass or a trainer's clothing.

In 1999, Richard Lair, and David Soldier of Mulatta Records, came up with the idea of a Thai Elephant Orchestra. These same elephants who derive great pleasure from painting also play musical instruments such as drums, gongs, xylophones and swish boards, designed just for them. Ramona, a 7-year-old elephant in Indonesia, also learned the harmonica. Pratida plays gongs with enthusiasm, and Phong, a young male, rescued from the

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