All posts tagged It Is What It Is Series

It Is What It Is Series: The Tufted Baboon


So, I had to make up his name. I don’t know what his real name is, I just like that he has this long tuft on top of his head and I think it would be good to put a bit of dipadeedoo in his hair to give him a fauxhawk.

I realize this is my third monkey in this series, but when you start researching strange animals, you start to realize a lot of them are monkeys, go figure.

It Is What It Is Series: The Kiwi


I fell in love with this animal after I saw this film, which made me cry, I have to admit. Not like, cry cry, just a little choked up.

They are native to New Zealand, and don’t look like they have wings, but the probably do under there somewhere.

{Mike}

It Is What It Is Series: The Narwhal


I am embarrassed to admit it, but I didn’t know this animal existed until I saw the movie Elf, and asked someone later, “What was up with the whale with a unicorn horn?” and they told me it was a real animal. I looked it up later, and sure enough, it is.

They have a pretty good defense, and are very cool, so for some reason I portrayed him in this holy way. Don’t ask why.

It Is What It Is Series: The Manatee


One word. Seacow.

‘Nuff said.

It Is What It Is Series: The Blob Fish


The Blob fish is my new favorite animal, well, until I find another one anyway. The reason is, because as some know, I love a good underdog. There is no animal more sad than a blob fish. The blob fish sits at the bottom of the ocean and just eats whatever is down there. He doesn’t have any real predators because it is so low pressure-wise. I think that must be why he is a blob.

I will go on record as saying that the blob fish may be the most pathetically lovable creature ever.

It Is What It Is Series: The Probiscis Monkey

So I just completed a mad rush to finish 6 more animals for the Beehive Baazar. They are all part of my It Is What It Is series. If you have been following this blog, you may remember that the idea of this series is to spotlight the unfortunate animals that are poked fun at, disregarded as strange, or are just plain unique.

This one is called the Proboscis Monkey. He is known of course, for his honker, but don’t laugh at him, he doesn’t like that.

{Mike}

It Is What It Is Series: The Mandrill Baboon

Baboons aren’t obscure or anything but they certainly are weird, so they belong in my new series. Sometimes I think we forget that there are beings out there that resemble us in some way, but then when you get a look at a creature like the Mandrill baboon, you realize that you don’t have blue and red ridged noses and the whites of your eyes not black. That is the creepiest bit about them to me. All you see in their eyes is the red iris staring you down. I am pretty sure they are mean, mean. Alma and I saw one at a weird little zoo in San Antonio that specialized in reptiles. Through the cage, the male made direct eye contact with me and grunted angrily. It was surreal.
The Madrill Baboon


It Is What It Is Series: The Gerenuk

I am doing a new series in preparation for the next Beehive Bazaar, which we have just been informed that we will be a part of again.  I want to have a lot of art for people to choose from us then, a good mix of original and printed works.
   The idea for this series has to do with the fact that I have become fascinated lately with weird animals that are not part of the core group of animals we always see portrayed.  I know, because I portrayed most of them myself in my Animals on White series seen here:

I never thought too much about animals in general until I met Alma.  She really gets a kick out of them, so we take any opportunity we can to go to zoos, or natural history museums.  She inspired the first series, an now she has suggested I do this new series based on a conversation we had recently.  
      So the way I remember it was that I brought up the fact that someday in the future people will likely be asking God: “So what’s up with the Platypus? What were you thinking there?”  and then I imagined he would just say: “It is what it is.”
     We got a good laugh over that and I said: “You know, that would make a good series for me to do, all the weird, but fascinating creatures.”  She loved the idea and the more we talked about it, the more it sounded like a legitimately good idea. The bigger difference with this series is that like the animals themselves, there won’t be any style or medium tying them together.  It will be whatever strikes my fancy.  So here is the first one:
The Gerenuk
We just saw these at the L.A. Zoo a couple weeks ago.  The are like a cross between a giraffe and a deer.
I dig it.