Zoo animals monkey around with art

Many zoo animals may just slap paint haphazardly on the canvas, but not Towan the orangutan. He apparently knows a thing or two about art.

According to his handlers, the oldest orangutan at Woodland Park Zoo experiments with texture. He takes up to two hours to paint a picture, deliberately choosing his colors. (He prefers red, blue and green.)

And when the artist dubbed the "Picasso of Primates" is done, he slides his artwork under the door.

Towan's paintings, which have sold for more than $1,000 at auction, will be on display alongside those of other zoo animals starting Saturday at the Art/Not Terminal Gallery on Westlake Avenue.

Woodland Park Zoo animals have been painting since 1996 as part of an enrichment program to stimulate them mentally and to develop a rapport with handlers. Nationwide, animal painting is a common practice.

But in recent years, zoos have discovered that artwork by elephants, chimpanzees, pandas and kangaroos can also raise thousands of dollars.

Lucky, the elephant at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, for instance, has raised more than $7,000 in recent years for her abstract work.

At Woodland Park Zoo, the three elephant artists Bamboo, Watoto and Chai hold brushes with their trunks, making broad up-and-down strokes and even curved shapes.

"Sometimes they are in a goofy mood and paint you in addition to the canvas," said zoo keeper Joanna Bojarski.

The biggest local star is 41-year-old Towan, who works with paint-filled pens and colored chalks unlike other orangutans, who paint with their tongues.

Proceeds from the Art/Not Terminal Gallery sale will help fund the conferences of The Puget Sound Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers and the International Congress of Zookeepers.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com