Elephant in the room (Eilifint sa seomra) (original)

The phrase ‘Elephant in the room’ means that there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.

In 1814, Ivan Krylov (1769–1844), poet and fabulist, wrote a fable entitled "The Inquisitive Man", which tells of a man who goes to a museum and notices all sorts of tiny things, but fails to notice an elephant. The phrase became proverbial.

This painting is somewhat of a tangent from my usual landscapes but is a landscape of a different sort… and sometimes I enjoy challenging myself with something a little different.

I came across a painting which must have lodged into by brain and I can not now remember where or when I saw it. I really wish I could… I think it was by a Russian Artist.

It spoke to me of dark and light, of history and political difficulties which filter down to one person blindly stumbling around in an elephant puppet costume. I have tried to rediscover that atmosphere in my own painting.

It relates to many subjects and causes, one of which is mental health. I recently found out about an Irish charity called ‘Elephant in the room’, who “help reframe the conversation about mental health in Ireland, so that at some stage in the perfect world, the elephant in the room will no longer exist.”

• Original Irish Figurative oil painting
• Péinteáil Fhíorach Dhún na nGall
• Original artwork
• Mixed media on canvas
• Painting size 50 x 50 cm
• Framed size (approx.) 52 x 52 x 4 cm
• Off white limed wooden frame
• Price includes frame