Life at the Zoo, Part Two

Part of the South American Rain Forest mural in the aviary at an Illinois zoo.

One of the seven murals I painted at a Coal Valley, Illinois zoo was to be a South American rain forest jungle.  In preparation for this job, I visited a botanical garden in Davenport, Iowa and shot a couple rolls of film of tropical plants found in South America.  Then I visited some big box stores and took more shots of tropical plants, with their permission, of course.  By then, I had plenty of photos of plants to paint from and was ready to start on the mural.

The Zoo Director had the glass removed for my easy access in and out of the exhibit cage.  The space, like some of the others in the aviary, was 12’ W x 15’ L x 10’ H and enclosed by cinderblocks. There are many, many plants in a jungle scene, so I had my work cut out for me.   First, I filled in the background; complete with leaves on the ground to trees and vines, then I adorned some of the moss covered trees with bromeliads and orchids.  Ferns as well as all sorts of other tropical plants were then painted around the bottom of the scene. 

An Amish family of ten came by and quietly watched me paint.  They all had very clear complexions and looked really healthy.  The Zoo Director brought by a local talk show host from a popular daytime television show and I was interviewed for a spot on her show in front of a camera.  This was completely without warning to me.  When I paint, I wear old clothes that I don’t care about because I have a tendency to get paint on them.  Wiping my hands on my jeans doesn’t help much either.  So there I was, in all my glory!

The sulfur-crested cockatoo was preening itself while perched nearby in the raised botanical area centered in the middle of the walkway.  Two crimson macaws and a pair of military macaws wandered around the tropical plants looking for fallen fruit.  An African Grey parrot was on its perch, quietly looking around.   Two zoo keepers were inside a couple of cages busily cleaning and feeding birds.  Sometimes groups of school kids came through with their teachers leading the way.

For my lunch break, I would bring a sack lunch and walk outside the aviary, past the singing dogs in their pen, the eagle that was in a domed-shape cage, the pair of leopards in their covered cage, and the porcupine in its area, towards the cougar cage.  I’d sit in front of it, studying the big cats as I ate my lunch. They sometimes made a very high pitched squeak, which if one were to hear it in the wild, it might fool one into thinking it were a bird!

Later, back in the aviary, I was about halfway finished with the mural, when I experienced a very heavy fatigue.  After painting an abundance of plants, I was getting worn out.  Playing music while I paint is a constant thing that I do as it helps to make the time go faster.  Just for a change of music, I put on a Moody Blues tape.   Somehow, it refreshed me and I began to paint with renewed energy.  Some music affects me that way.  It helped me get through a rough spot and I was able to complete the mural.