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Oakland Zoo raising funds with auction of paintings created by its animals

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Squirrel monkeys Pythagoras (a 3-year-old male) and Peru (a 16-year-old female) showed their preference for plein-air painting. Photo by Leslie Cohelan
Squirrel monkeys Pythagoras (a 3-year-old male) and Peru (a 16-year-old female) showed their preference for plein-air painting. Photo by Leslie Cohelan

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – An auction of 32 colorful paintings produced by elephants, giraffes, river otters and even a cockroach at the Oakland Zoo is underway with more than half a dozen bids on the art work.

Bids start at $200, and already there are bids on works by a sun bear, chimp, meerkats, an elephant and lemurs.

This dramatic abstract is the work of Hahnuman, a lesser ape known as a siamang.
This dramatic abstract is the work of Hahnuman, a lesser ape known as a siamang.

The painting sessions were conducted by zoo keepers who used only positive reinforcement, including plenty of treats, as they worked with the animals, zoo spokeswoman Nicky Mora said.

Elephants were helped to hold paintbrushes in their trunks and giraffes in their mouths and produced their artwork one stroke at a time. Goats, lemurs and meerkats had their hooves, paws or claws dabbed with nontoxic, water-based paint and ran over a blank sheet of poster board while chasing a treat.

Jennifer the Lemur took a hands-on approach in creating her auction entry.
Jennifer the Lemur took a hands-on approach in creating her auction entry.

Andy, a Madagascar hissing cockroach, scurried around a canvas. The result was a piece in purple, green and yellow tones.

Maggie, a Nigerian dwarf goat, had her hooves dipped in blue, green and yellow paint. The keeper coaxed her with snacks to walk on a canvas.

Hooves add a certain je ne sais quoi, says Maggie the Nigerian pygmy goat.
Hooves add a certain je ne sais quoi, says Maggie the Nigerian pygmy goat.

“It was fun for them because they got treats for participating,” Mora said.

One of the zoo’s giraffes, named Benghazi, seems to have a special affection for the artistic process.

“Oh, I think he loves it,” lead giraffe keeper Amy Phelps said. “He definitely seems to know that the painting is his thing. When we take it out the paint brushes and the paint, he comes right over like he’s excited to participate.”

None of the animals was forced to take part, zoo officials said.

With her super-strong beak, Jenny, a sulfur-crested cockatoo, needed no help in maneuvering a paintbrush. Photo by Steve Goodall
With her super-strong beak, Jenny, a sulfur-crested cockatoo, needed no help in maneuvering a paintbrush. Photo by Steve Goodall

Last year, Oakland Zoo auctioned off twelve paintings and raised nearly $10,000.

Bidding through eBay will end Sept. 20. The funds raised will benefit Oakland Zoo’s conservation partners, who are working in the field to save wild animals, Mora said.

Some of the paintings will be exhibited starting Thursday and through Sept. 20 at The Blueprint, a tea lounge, in Oakland.

Ting Ting the sun bear chose a palette of botanical colors for his artwork.
Ting Ting the sun bear chose a palette of botanical colors for his artwork.

View many additional images of artworks and read about their animal creators at http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Animal_Art_Show_2015.php

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By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

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