Friends Eleph

	FRIENDS, 1991 Limited edition print publication date: 1995 Edition size: 850 copies Published price: £40 Maximum known secondary market price reached: £680 Gary says: “The Friends original drawing sold at the Famous 1991 ‘Whaletail’ auction in aid of the East African Wildlife Society in Kenya. It was a huge event that so many international wildlife artists participated in, including Robert Bateman, the late Simon Coombes, and Carl Brenders. Along with Friends, I submitted three limited edition prints that also reached impressive prices. The auction seemed to be so well organised considering art was coming from all parts of the Globe and the EAWS was being given different percentages from each artist, (ranging between 50-100%). “In 1995 I decided to release Friends as a limited edition print for EIA with all money raised going to help them continue their ground breaking Elephant campaign. Unlike some charities EIA use just about all of their funds available to work on campaigns rather than keeping some in the bank for financial security. Perhaps a little foolhardy; but there’s always important work to be done, politicians to lobby, goals to achieve and villains to expose. EIA have had so many successes over the last 25 years. They need our help with funding now more than ever. I continue to support them. “More recently, Friends has played a tiny part in another innovative fund-raising venture, this time by the Tusk Trust. One of the Tusk founding trustees, Sir Timothy Ackroyd came up with the idea of grouping together animal art, sketches and doodles by a wide variety of people; actors, comedians, artists, politicians and so on, to form the coffee table book ‘Ackroyd’s Ark’. It has raised over £85,000 so far for Tusk, between book sales and an auction of the artwork at Christies. The book is still available from the Tusk Trust. Another book and auction is planned for October 2010. I am pleased to participate again in this clever venture, this time with Majesty.” PREVIOUS

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