Red Earth art links cultures, species
Red Earth art links cultures, species

By Sarah D. Wire Comments 0
Published: June 9, 2008

Many artists display their work at the 22nd annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival, which ended Sunday, but this years' gathering brought together two artists in a never-before-seen way.

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Artist Brent Learned holds a painting Sunday that he worked on with the help of an elephant as he prepares to present it to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Oklahoma City. By John Clanton, THE OKLAHOMAN

The two painters used smooth strokes that brought multicolored acrylic paint across the same canvas. One was a celebrated American Indian artist, the other a circus elephant.

Cheyenne-Arapaho artist Brent Learned, 38, teamed up with Asia the elephant from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to create the unusual piece.

"Naturally you can tell it had a human touch but you can't tell where the animal had a part in it,” Learned said.

Asia used a variety of colors to create part of the painting first. Learned said he took his inspiration from the shapes the elephant made and created a profile of an old American Indian man.

Asia's brushstrokes can largely be seen in the hair of the old man. Learned equated the collaborative process to looking for shapes in a cloud.

Humor mixes with respect

"It was just perfectly set up,” he said. "Even the lines the elephant made came down and it was perfect for braids.”

Red Earth spokesman Eric Oesch, 48, said Learned was asked to do the collaboration because the festival knew he would work on it with a sense of humor while still being respectful of what Red Earth stands for.

Learned said he has done collaborative pieces before "but this is the first time I've gone outside the species.”

Red Earth and the circus decided to work together on several promotions, including the painting, because the two events occurred the same weekend across the street from one another, Oesch said.

Learned was made an honorary ring master at the circus Sunday. The circus plans to donate the painting to the Red Earth Museum.

"It was just cool to do a painting with an elephant,” Learned said.