Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Negra Inspires Us All

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Art Month Musings #2

Many artists and creative-types have a muse – that source of inspiration that seems to come from outside of them. I often wonder what it is that inspires Jamie, who is one of the most creative chimpanzees I know.

Yesterday Jamie made this composition:

Jamie's latest composition

 

I am not going to claim that Negra is Jamie’s inspiration, but I will submit that Negra has been the muse for several human artists (and crafters). Case in point – four of the pieces in the Biddin’ for the Seven online art auction.

 

The Great Outdoors

Negra The Great Outdoors by Sally-Anne Ryan

Sally-Anne Ryan’s 12×12 acrylic on canvas was inspired by Negra and the newfound outdoor life that all of the chimps have been able to experience on Young’s Hill.  Negra’s history is bleak. She was stolen from her family in Africa as a infant and brought to the United States to be used in biomedical research for nearly three decades, including more than a year of complete isolation. Knowing this history, the sparkle and hope in Negra’s eyes that Sally-Anne captured in this painting is full of meaning.

Everyone at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is lucky to have Sally-Anne as part of our expanding circle of friends “across the pond.”  She works with many animal rescue organizations, in particular chimpanzee sanctuaries. She has donated her original paintings to past auctions and even traveled to the United States and attended the sanctuary’s 2010 Out of the Box auction in Seattle. Check out her website and blog written for people who love animals: www.GretaLovesMabel.com

 

The next two art pieces are photographs chosen by volunteer and supporter Jeani Goodrich (we’re not related, as far as we know – she’s the first Goodrich outside of my family that I’ve met).

Jeani has folded many a blanket, washed many a dish, and prepared many a meal for the Cle Elum Seven. In addition to volunteering in the chimp house, she has helped with several of our events.

For the Biddin’ for the Seven auction, Jeani wanted to donate the cost of printing photos on canvas and selected two Negra photos.

 

Feet Holding Hands Holding Feet

These are Negra’s hands and feet clasped in comfort, with Jody’s finger reaching in to groom Negra’s toe. The photo was printed on an 18″ x 24″ canvas and it can be yours! Just register for the Biddin’ for the Seven art auction and start bidding on March 24th.

photo of hands and feet

 

 

Negra is Beautiful

Negra is Beautiful on canvas

Nothing really needs to be said about the above photo on canvas, except perhaps that it is simply stunning in person. Imagine being able to see that photo on your wall every day knowing that you’ve helped give Negra so much by supporting the sanctuary.

 

Sock Chimpanzee: Negra

At last year’s Sippin’ for the Seven, we had some silly sock monkeys that were made to go over a bottle of wine. Since then, I’ve noticed that sock monkeys are everywhere, but I have yet to see a sock chimpanzee. Not one to be dissuaded, I took matters into my own hands. I found a suitable pair of socks and hand stitched my very first sock chimpanzee. The body of the plush chimp reminded me of Negra (she is my muse, after all), so I found a piece of cloth to serve as Negra’s often-present blanket worn over her head and shoulders.

Negra sock chimpanzee

Don’t forget that you’ll be able to see all of the art donations in person at Sippin’ for the Seven in Roslyn on March 24th, so get your tickets for this awesome event today (fill out the quick registration form or login when purchasing tickets).

Foxie, the closet nester?

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When Foxie arrived at CSNW almost 4 years ago, she wanted nothing to do with toys and especially blankets. While in the lab, the chimps weren’t given much, if any enrichment so it would make sense that after 30 years of living in barren cages, a toy or a blanket would seem a bit foreign to her. When we discovered her love of troll dolls, her distaste for other toys faded some, but she would still toss aside a blanket that was in her way and preferred to sleep on the concrete floor. It’s only been in the last year that we have witnessed her making rudimentary signs of nesting behavior with blankets. I haven’t seen her nest too much lately, but last night, after locking up the chimp area, Elizabeth and I were on our way out the door when we happened to look up and see Foxie laying in the loft playing and nesting with a small blanket. Perhaps she’s a closet nester?

Primates are Creative

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I’m declaring March “Art Month!”

If you received the March E-News sent out today, then you may have taken a peak at the art that could soon be yours through Biddin’ for the Seven.

We’ll be adding more art to the online auction site as the month rolls on, including art made by Jamie Chimpanzee.

Watching Jamie create and knowing how incredibly artistic many Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporters are inspired me to put together this auction.

You can see the pieces added so far on the Biddin’ for the Seven online auction site. Below are two featured pieces.

 

Chimp Ring by Tamela

Tamela is a multi-talented artist who has been following the chimpanzees since before their arrival to the sanctuary in 2008.  In addition to her contributions of several original art pieces for past fundraisers, she’s donated money to help us throw many fun and food-filled parties for the chimps and has donated items that the chimps still use everyday (like the big rubber maid tub that we sometimes fill with snow).

The ring is adjustable from a size seven to a size nine. It is 99.9% pure solid silver and the band is sterling silver. Tamela formed the chimp in fine silver clay, then kiln fired it and finished with a hand polish and a hard jeweler’s wax to protect the antique-like finish. What all of this detail boils down to is this: the ring is gorgeous andunique, and you need to bid on it. Register today on the auction site. Bidding for all items begins on March 24th.

 

Missy on a Mission by Margaret

Missy on a Mission by Margaret

Margaret H. Parkinson has a gift. She sees a photo that she’s drawn to and she brings it to life 100-fold with vibrant colors. The photo that Margaret’s 20″ x 16″ oil painting shown above was inspired by was posted on the blog on the third day the chimpanzees had access to Young’s Hill. See the photo and read the blog post – it will give even more meaning to the painting.

Margaret and her partner Karen visited the sanctuary before the chimpanzees arrived in 2008. In addition to donating several original paintings and prints, Margaret has been a generous financial supporter, volunteer, and writer for the sanctuary’s annual book (limited edition Year Three books are in print now and will also be available in the online auction).

The image of Missy on a Mission above is good, but the painting in person is breathtaking. Come see it displayed at the Sippin’ for the Seven event in Roslyn on March 24th and you’ll see what I mean.

 

*Next up for Art Month musings – Negra Inspires Us All

Foxie and Negra groom

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Here’s some really sweet photos of Foxie and Negra grooming in the warm greenhouse yesterday. I especially like the one where Foxie is poking Negra’s ear!

CSNW’s Crossfit

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Jody is at least 37 years old (we believe she was captured in Africa, so she’s possibly older than that) and she is best known for her elaborate nests, yoga poses, and just her overall proficient ability to relax. But, Young’s Hill brings about a different side to Jody. She’s much more active and even playful when she’s out there. Chimpanzees in Africa spend about 60% of their day traveling. We obviously can never replace the forests of Africa with a 2-acre enclosure, but it’s really nice to see the amount of exercise the chimps are getting out there! With a workout plan like this one, I can’t wait to see how skinny Jody will be by the end of summer!

Groomin’ on a Sunday Afternoon

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Okay, it’s not really Sunday, but I couldn’t help myself with the title.

We’ve talked about how important grooming is within chimpanzee society before (see this blog post from 2010 and this one from last year and you might as well check out this one about conflict and reassurance).

My favorite grooming to watch between chimps is when it’s a lazy afternoon and everything is calm and quiet. One chimpanzee will approach another chimp who is lying down or just sitting and chilling and start casually grooming them. The chimps often do their lazy grooming on the top of the climbing structure in the greenhouse. Often there are multiple partners grooming separately and sometimes they’ll move to a new partner or create a group of three or more chimps all grooming each other.

Below are some pics of Foxie grooming Burrito.

Foxie separates the hair on Burrito’s back with her fingers:

Foxie grooming Burrito with her hand

 

Foxie using her prehensile lips to groom Burrito (see this video with some other prehensile lip action):

Foxie grooms Burrito with her lips

Foxie grooms Burrito with lip 2

 

Foxie becoming distracted from her grooming by the troll doll in her hand:

Foxie hold troll doll up close

Missy & Annie

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Mornings at the chimp house are pretty predictable. Burrito likes to start out the day with a long and loud display. Jody likes to camp out by the window to the kitchen so she can watch the caregivers prepare the morning smoothie. And Negra stays in her bed, under the covers, as long as she can without missing breakfast.

Missy and Annie, on the other hand, like to begin the day by playing.