John Banovich - The Last Crossing, 2026

John Banovich - The Last Crossing, 2026John Banovich The Last Crossing SCI 2026 oil on Belgian linen 20h x 26w x 1d in50. 80h x 66. 04w x 2. 54d cm JBO1292 Retail: $ 27,500 Looking out across the open plain, I thought of Craig, the great tusker of Amboseli. I pictured him emerging from the tall grass, his long tusks nearly touching the ground, his presence unmistakable against the wide landscape and the distant rise of Mount Kilimanjaro. For decades, he embodied the true spirit of the

John Banovich
The Last Crossing-SCI 2026
oil on Belgian linen
20h x 26w x 1d in50.80h x 66.04w x 2.54d cm
JBO1292
Retail: $ 27,500

Looking out across the open plain, I thought of Craig, the great tusker of Amboseli. I pictured him emerging from the tall grass, his long tusks nearly touching the ground, his presence unmistakable against the wide landscape and the distant rise of Mount Kilimanjaro. For decades, he embodied the true spirit of the wild—steady, resilient, and shaped by time. Above him, birds drifted across the sky, unchanged, as the land carried on around him.

Born in the early months of 1972, Craig survived decades in a world where so many of his kind were lost to the ruthless ivory trade. He became one of the last of the “super tuskers,” his ivory tusks weighing 125 and 145 lbs, as he wandered his ancient routes beneath Kilimanjaro’s gaze.

In this painting, I’ve frozen a single, silent moment: he pauses at the edge of memory and myth, a lone wanderer touched by the golden warmth of the grass and the cool hush of approaching dusk. I wanted his presence to feel monumental yet peaceful, an ode to his storied life and the many calves whose futures he helped shape.

Craig passed away in the early hours of January 3, 2026, his molars worn down with age and his great body weary from years of roaming free. Rangers and guardians kept vigil by his side through his final hours, honoring a creature who gave so much to the land he called home. His death was not sudden or violent, but one of old ag. A reminder of the beauty that remains when wild things are protected and allowed to live out their lives in peace.

Craig’s journey becomes a peaceful step from the world he knew into the legacy he leaves behind.