The Art Of Animals

Subject: The Art Of Animals
From: John Hardly
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 12:49 PM

There was an episode of Beverly Hillbillies featuring a chimpanzee that painted on canvas ..... to great critical reviews. A good-humored jab at "modern art" no doubt. But I've had some pretty memorable experiences witnessing animal behavior that no doubt has practical reason if you were to insist on analyzing it scientifically, but that from all appearances seems as though the animal is performing – and usually for the sheer joy of it.

For years I walked in the woods with my now departed malamute, Aspen – a dog that loved life so much that I have no doubt that his very musical howls were him laughing aloud. I didn't always let him off leash because he wouldn't always come immediately when I called. But if I was certain that the woods was clear of other hikers or runners (that'd really shake up someone's day to be walking along a trail, only to be surprised by the approach of a large wolf-looking dog) I'd let him run.

The minute Aspen was off leash he would make a mad dash off-trail. He'd run in circles. He'd run in figure eights. He'd look for fallen trees and other obstacles just to jump over them. And it was beautiful. A silver streak. A blur of white fur, gleaming eye, hanging tongue, and a smile – joyfully jumping over branches and making hairpin turns around obstacles that weren't there.

Oh that my pots had half the whimsy of an Aspen dash in the wood.

Betty is a friend who has always taken in strays and injured animals. I remember one year when she took in a very young flying squirrel that had obviously been orphaned. I was actually shocked to witness the circus act this little under-aged Rocky performed. He'd circle the small room, climb the curtain, tightrope walk the curtain rod and then, like a gymnast dismounting a balance beam, he'd throw himself with wild abandon into space, only to glide gracefully down to his starting point in the room and begin the circle again. And for what?

Again, science may analyze this playful behavior as some survival practice. It sure looked like the joy of art to me.

And what got me thinking about the art of animals?

On my daily trip to the trails I always drive by Winona Lake. Winona Lake is the second biggest natural glacier lake in Indiana. That's not big. That's just big for Indiana. At this time of year when the disparity in temperature between water and air can be so great, it's not unusual for a mist to come off of the lake. And if the air is very, very still, as it was the other morning, that mist can hover heavily above the water. You can see clearly above it to blue sky, and you can see clearly below it to the water, but you cannot see through it to the opposite shore of the lake.

That's just how I found the lake on my way to the trails last Friday. A low mist hung over the glassy surface of the water.

And just as I turned the corner toward the lake, a great blue heron rose up out of the water right in front of me. But it didn't just fly up, up, and away. Instead, it flew just barely over the surface of the water and just below the mist that hung above. So with each slow, methodical beat of its wings it created an image that I'll probably never forget.

For what seemed several long minutes the heron flew like this – each upward stroke of wing getting lost in the mist …… then beating again downward until the tip of its wing nearly touched the surface of the water. What's more, this heron dance to which I was witness occurred in tandem, as the reflection of the heron appeared to be traveling just beneath it. Two birds flying in perfect formation, belly to belly…

Black wingtip touching black wingtip, then parting and nearly disappearing back into mist.
Black wingtip touching black wingtip, then parting and nearly disappearing back into mist.
Black wingtip touching black wingtip, then parting and nearly disappearing back into mist.

…on and on for more than one hundred slow, lazy yards. A graceful waltz.

Go ahead and tell me that Aspen, Rocky, and that heron didn't know what, or even that they were creating. I might half believe you.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: MMario
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 12:54 PM

Cats pose, in a deliberate manner; many animals will sense a "Photo op" and strike a particularly attractive pose.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: John Hardly
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 12:59 PM

They do at that, don't they?

Put a rectangular piece of paper in the center of an empty room and a cat will lay directly in the center of the paper in the center of the room, oriented in the same direction as the paper.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 01:48 PM

Beautifully said John. Thanks for sharing with us. I saw one blue heron on teh Gunnison, yesterday. Stately, at water's edge; could've been looking at its own reflection, but I think more like eyes out for tasty fish.

As MMario said, cats are always ready for a photo op!

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Bee
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 02:07 PM

In which case, mine presently has a definite predilection for showing off, tail uplifted, his beauteous rear end, every time I get the camera out. But then he's a very young, developing Tom (Little Does He Know...) and perhaps believes that is his most gorgeous aspect.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 02:24 PM

Gawdamn John.............That is without a doubt the best thing you have ever posted and one of the very best that this site has seen anytime. Simply beautiful, it reaches down within us. I can see Aspen and the heron.............great piece of work.

Spaw

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 02:35 PM

The Art Of MudCat ! Beautiful descriptive piece John !

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 03:14 PM

Such a simple, clear description of something so beautiful almost has to be classed as poetry. Thanks, John, for brightening up the day.                Dean

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Joybell
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 03:27 PM

Yes thank you, John. A few years ago I wrote a short piece about "Magpie Games". Our Australian Magpies are known for their playful behaviour. It got around a bit and people started contacting me to say, "Do you know that piglets play too" or Rabits, or Kangaroos ..... So many people said that they knew about kittens and puppies but had been unaware of the play behaviour of other animals, especially wild ones. My American husband says that Racoons are particularly playful.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 03:27 PM

Speaking of posing, do you remember a few months back (a year?) when the Smithsonian Magazine had an article featuring a photographer and his dog? The photog traveled all over Europe photographing cathedrals, fountains, markets, whatever. When he lined up a shot his dog would be given permission and he (the dog) would pose himself in a spot and in such a manner that set it off beautifully.

Our "pets" are more sentient than we have sometimes wanted to believe. I think they have always been- we're only starting to pay attention.

I saw a video of a dog with a new Frisbee. He chased it across the lawn and leaped to catch it. Then he laid it on the ground, turned around, defecated in it and walked away.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 04:01 PM

LOL...guess he didn't like the new one, Ebbie?

My friend took his parrot everywhere whilst living in Portland, OR, before the parrot passed away. Everywhere they went, Josephine/JoJo would pose on a sign or somesuch and get her photo taken. She also talked about it with anyone who would listen, deliberately adding in laughter at the appropriate times. She was older than him and had been in his family since before he was born, so she was almost like a big sister to him.:-)

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 05:51 PM

Cats' affinity for fabric during the process of making a quilt is legendary. You can leave a shirt to be ironed on the ironing board for a week and the cat will ignore it. But if you leave a two yard piece of fabric on the same ironing board for a minute, there's a cat on it. Then when you start the actual process of piecing the quilt together into blocks, the cat will ignore the unpieced yardage that you're going to use for the back of the quilt and lie on the patchwork blocks. And if the quilt has a focal point, say it's a nine-block quilt and the center block is different from the other eight, that's the one he'll lie on.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Jan 07 - 07:34 PM

But of course...they ARE the centre of the Universe, ya know!:-)

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: John Hardly
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 07:38 PM

The Art Of Animals

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 08:10 PM

Speechless in awe of the beauty and how it actually happens!

Thanks for posting it!

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 12:11 AM

The satin bowerbird

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 01:29 AM

I'm thinking about the art that must appear every morning under the tree where all of those starlings roost for the night. Jackson Pollack eat your heart out.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: Amos
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 10:54 AM

LOL!! But that clip is awesome!!


A

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: ClaireBear
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 03:38 PM

What beautiful craftsmanship, John. A lovely piece of work.

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 12:06 AM

Jim, thanks for the link to the Bower Bird. Cheeky, isn't he?!

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 12:10 AM

Alice, Caption please!

Subject: RE: The Art Of Animals
From: GUEST,Ingrid the Crafty
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 01:32 AM

In the cul de sac on which I live, I witnessed one day a squirrel and a crow engaged in what looked like a grand game. The crow would dive at the squirrel, and pull up at the last moment. Then the squirrel would leap at his tail as he flew over. The crow would land, and the squirrel would run at him. The crow would hop into the air and land behind the squirrel and peck at his tail tip. It was almost as if they were playing tag.

Ingrid