They’re not paintings of animals, but paintings by animals. Koko the gorilla, Elepha the elephant, Jello the penguin and Koopa the turtle are just a few of the animal kingdom’s Picassos, Monets and Pollocks. These are animals who actually paint by beak, mouth, paw, flipper or trunk. Some can actually hold a paint brush and others create art hands-on in the same way that children fingerpaint.
In 2005, with permission from the California Department of Fish and Game, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center’s (WERC) educational opossums, Blossom and Pogo, joined these talented critters and created unique hand-and-foot-painted artwork by walking over paper with safe, non-toxic paints.
The two opossums even had their own “meet the artist” show, where Blossom’s extraordinary, “Blossoms by Blossom” abstract paintings were on display along with those of the younger opossum, Pogo, who painted smaller versions called “Impressions.” Their handprint resemble tiny flowers and tail and fur brushstrokes give an extra flair of color. There’s a method behind their marsupial meanderings: The opossums were enticed to artistic heights with a bribe of a special treat, and the resulting compositions are as colorful as a rainbow in a spring garden.
It’s a serious business. Nonprofit foundations, particularly zoos and wild animal reserves, have solid reasons for promoting animal painting – it heightens awareness of the species and of habitat loss, provides enrichment for the animals and is an innovative method of fundraising. Blossom’s custom-framed paintings were auctioned off for hundreds of dollars, raising much needed money for the food, housing and medications of injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife at WERC.
While Blossom and Pogo have since passed away, you can meet Rosie O’Possum and WERC’s other educational animals (falcons, owls, an acorn woodpecker, a pocket gopher and snakes) at “Art and Animals”, the Art a la Carte event being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28 at the Morgan Hill Community Center. Rosie won’t be painting at the event, but you will see examples of Blossom and Pogo’s work on display. Plans are also under way to develop little Rosie’s artistic “talents,” to rival the color and abstract form of a Kandinsky painting – but without costing the millions it takes to buy one of his originals.
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WERC’s animal ambassadors will also appear from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Earth Day Celebration at Christopher High School in Gilroy. Two of the animals attending are prime examples of a natural (and free!) around-the-clock environmental clean-up crew: A turkey vulture for the daytime and an opossum for night. Check out WERC’s website for other upcoming educational animal “meet and greet” events.
