Iraida Cano – Scale Green – 1995
Photograph taken 2003
Material: Paint
Trail: Silurian Way
Theme: Nature
Form: Figurative – Elephants
Maps Featured on: 1996 – 2006, ?
Status: Still in situ in part (extremely weathered), April 2023
Quote from the artist – “The largest and most powerful creature that walks this planet. The elephants appear emerge, surrounding you, hide themselves in the hills, look at you very intensely.”
In the woods at Scale Green, a herd of (at least) 9 Elephants have been hand painted onto exposed rock faces. Following the shape and contours of the outcrop and the elephants look lifelike.
It took me years to find all of them, at first not realising there was more than one, this was largely because by the time I first visited them in the early 00s some had become very faded and overgrown. It was only on a thorough search of the whole area in 2018 that I uncovered the foot which was almost entirely grown over with moss.
The elephants are painted mainly either blue hues or reds. The reds have faded considerably more over the years. The elephants face in all directions, the east facing one being best preserved, the west ones have the most moss growth over the years.
There are seven elephant faces, from varying angles, one painting of an elephant’s foot and one of an elephants backside. The colours are subtle, often matching the natural colour of the rock or lichens. In order to find them you have to head off piste they are mostly sited on the large outcrop heading downhill west of the footpath.
Unfortunately over the last decade the Silurian Way footpath has been moved back and a new cycle route has been created in this part of the forest which completely severs the path from the elephants. This has meant this sculpture, though still well worth a visit, has been removed from maps since 2005. You can easily reach it still if you head west off the path in between Living Wood and Silurian Cant, just be aware of cyclists when crossing the path.
Click to enlarge
Above is a map showing the locations of the elephants. Below various photographs of the elephants over time.
I.
Photographs Courtesy of Iraido Cano 1995 & last photograph taken 1997 by Juanjo Delgado
The photos above show the elephant, before and after painting and then again in 1997. This was the third elphant Iraido painted. It is sited a little away from the rest of the herd, directly facing elephant II . Due to a change in the footpaths it is now also separated from the others by the North Face Bike Trail. This rock is in a clearing meaning it faced the brunt of the weather. I never noticed this painting until 2018, meaning it must have been hard to distinguish by 2003.
Photographs Taken December 18 & June 2019
In 2018 I did a thorough search of the area and noticed the white paint of a tusk. In June 2019 I cleaned the moss off the rock to reveal the elephant underneath. The painting is almost indistinguishable, but there is one very clear eye peaking out from the rock face.
II.
Photograph Courtesy of Iraido Cano 1997
This is the first elephant that was painted, it is the one that directly faces the footpath and so is the initial painting you would see (it currently sits a couple of yards from the cycle path). It is also the only elephant shown on any promotional Grizedale images, (making photos of the other elephants extremely hard to find).
Photograph Taken 2009
Slowly over the years moss has grown across the face, by 2019 it was looking pretty sad. Here are before and after photos of the moss being cleaned off.
Photograph Taken June 2019
Possibly due to its eastward orientation, or because it is well protected by trees above, this painting looks in remarkable condition 25 years later.
III.
Photograph Courtesy of Iraido Cano, taken by Juanjo Delgado 1997
Photograph Taken 2009
This elephant is down and to the right from II. With its large ears it is an African Elephant. Its body seems to continue onto the next rock on the right. Over the years moss has come and gone and it has faded quite a lot, but is still visible.
Photograph Taken June 2019
IV.
Photograph Courtesy of Iraido Cano, taken by Juanjo Delgado 1997
This is a smaller painting. Positioned just behind elephant II. It just depicts the side of an elephants head, the trunk disappearing under the ground.
Photograph Taken 2009
Being small it was quickly becoming completely overgrown. Below is before and after I cleaned it in 2019.
Photographs Taken June 2019
V.
Photograph Courtesy of Iraido Cano, taken by Juanjo Delgado 1997
This elephant is half way down the hillside. Its bright white tusks are still visible but the red skin faded quickly, especially as this side faces west and gets the brunt of the weather.
Photograph Taken 2009
VI.
Photograph Taken by Robzet approximately 1996
This is the first painting of anything other than an elephants head. This is very small about a foot (no pun intended) high. Sited right down the bottom of the outcrop. just below elephant V.
In my thorough search in 2018 I noticed some white paint on a rock. After moving some leaf litter the foot emerged. It seems to have been very quickly covered by moss and leaves, leaving it very well preserved over two decades.
Photograph Taken June 2019
VII.
Photograph Taken by Robzet approximately 1996
The second painting of something other than an elephants head. This rock shows the back end of an elephant, mid walk with one leg lifted. It is down the bottom of the hill just to the right of the foot.
Photograph Taken June 2019
Unfortunately even with some of the moss taken off it is impossible to make out this painting. There is a vague sense of light and shade since but this is such as damp area it has been affected by the elements.
VIII.
Photograph from ‘Natural Order’ 1996 by Bill Grant
Photo by Bill Grant
This elephant is face on with its trunk up in the air. I don’t have any photos of it new complete, only in progress above. Below is a distant image of it you can see it has its ears out which haven’t yet been painted above. It is positioned half way down the hill just below elephant II.
Photograph Taken by Robzet approximately 1996
Photograph Taken 2009
By the time I came to photograph it it had already faded considerably and been overgrown with moss. Below is before and after I cleared some of the moss off the elephant. Due to the steep slope I could only reach so far but it was enough to be able to view the elephant once again.
Photographs taken December 2018 & June 2019
IX.
Photograph Taken by Robzet approximately 1996
This painting of an elephant in profile is half way down the hill, just left of elephant II. It is now close to the new bike trail that has been installed.
Photograph Taken 2009
Photograph Taken June 2019
Over time moss has grown over the image, above it after I cleaned it off, the shape is still discernible if the details aren’t.
It is remarkable how long these paintings have lasted in an exposed forest, no longer listed on sculpture maps I do hope people still go and see them, and hopefully now they look a bit cleaner they can be enjoyed even more.
Photograph by Reece Ingram 1997
The waymarker for this sculpture from 1997 was a red squirrel.
Page last updated April 2023
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