
Do Not Feed The Animals
Do Not Feed The Animals
30 x 36
2003 / #19
I wanted to make a painting about relationships and love that captured a scene I witnessed at the Toronto Zoo in Canada. An older couple was having the best time just holding hands and wandering the park. I encountered them several times and could not figure out if they had been married many, many years as their ages would suggest, or if they were a recent couple infatuated like teenagers. It was cute. At one point, they were kissing by a sign that said, “Do not feed the animals” and the irony of the situation struck me as the perfect concept for a painting. These two lovebirds were acting like animals and did not care who saw it. We watch animals do their thing behind the fences and think nothing of it. Why can’t the animals watch us from the other side of the fence as well?
The real couple was not this stereotypical but I have to infuse a little life and personality into the piece for compositional interest so I made them a bit over the top in the tourist department. Typical tourist attire is present, fanny pack, camera, plaid Bermuda shorts, and some indications of their other lives, as in the fishing lures and tattoo. They share some treats in the way newlyweds share a toast to each other, arms entwined and feeding the partner. A little animal on the fence did not pay attention to the sign and indulges on some free popcorn. Another lovebird perhaps?
30 x 36
2003 / #19
I wanted to make a painting about relationships and love that captured a scene I witnessed at the Toronto Zoo in Canada. An older couple was having the best time just holding hands and wandering the park. I encountered them several times and could not figure out if they had been married many, many years as their ages would suggest, or if they were a recent couple infatuated like teenagers. It was cute. At one point, they were kissing by a sign that said, “Do not feed the animals” and the irony of the situation struck me as the perfect concept for a painting. These two lovebirds were acting like animals and did not care who saw it. We watch animals do their thing behind the fences and think nothing of it. Why can’t the animals watch us from the other side of the fence as well?
The real couple was not this stereotypical but I have to infuse a little life and personality into the piece for compositional interest so I made them a bit over the top in the tourist department. Typical tourist attire is present, fanny pack, camera, plaid Bermuda shorts, and some indications of their other lives, as in the fishing lures and tattoo. They share some treats in the way newlyweds share a toast to each other, arms entwined and feeding the partner. A little animal on the fence did not pay attention to the sign and indulges on some free popcorn. Another lovebird perhaps?