Today was the reception at the Rockville Art League, where I was very honored to have won first place with Gorilla.
Why gorillas? Well to me gorillas and monkeys are simply amazing creatures to observe. However, they also symbolize love from my family and friends. When I was younger I would spend a few days of every summer break with my grandparents in Toledo, and they would always take me and my sister to the zoo. Since they knew monkeys/apes were my favorite, we would spend the most time at those exhibits, and they also would buy me souvenirs like the monkey poster that hung in my room until I left for collage. Once I moved away from home to college, and then even post-college, my grandfather would mail me letters and include clippings of whatever monkeys or gorillas he could find, just to make me smile. When I was in junior high school my friends bought me a little stuffed gorilla. I named him George and slept with George every night for about 20 years. He even came on my wedding night. He was pretty rough-around-the-edges by the end of his time, because he had burnt his bottom in college when he fell onto a floor lamp, and I had to stitch him back together. I also received many other gorillas and monkeys- the most notable of which was Koko- a $300 giant (human-sized!) stuffed gorilla my dad bought in Vegas and gave me as a sweet 16 gift (yes, I know, unusual!). There is a picture of me dancing the tango with Koko in my senior college yearbook. My friends in college all got me stuffed monkeys at various points (my guy friends favored the monkeys holding bananas for some reason!), and my college roommates father carved me a humongous gorilla my sophomore from a giant section of oak. It weighted a ton and was a staple in my room and then in my parents garden for many years. Since most of the monkeys and gorillas from my youth have eventually disintegrated, I wanted to make a lasting memory of my fondness for gorillas and more importantly my love for friends and family who enabled my obsession through the years :) Post script: Last month when I took my 8 year old daughter to the zoo, she surprised me by insisting on getting me a tiny stuffed gorilla, which now sits in my room in a prime location :) It has been a few years since I have had a gorilla memento- I am loving it! The tradition continues... |
AuthorLearning new skills and passions is one of life's greatest joys! I am thrilled to be expanding my artistic repertoire, with my favorite subjects including landscapes and animals, and more recently abstracts. Archives
January 2024
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