Meet Winston, the Argentinian Tegu Lizard, and his owner, Sarah Curry, who creates paintings by dipping his claws and tail into different paints before thrashing against the canvas.
Winston Is An Artist Of Distinction
It all began when Winston's owner, Sarah Curry, a graphic designer from Michigan, realized that her pet lizard had a real knack for making a mess of his surroundings. As an artist herself, her thinking outside the box brought her to the question of whether Winston could put his odd skills to work on canvas. His artwork has been raising money to benefit other animals and humans affected by the terrible Australian bush fires. The rest of the story is history, as they say. His paintings have been put up for auction where they sell for between $30 and $75. Prints garner $15 to $30. (See: Kitty Raises Money for Charity.)
Winston Came From A Wisconsin Rescue
Thirty-one-year-old Curry told the press that Winston had been left on the door step of The Great Lakes Zoological Society after being neglected by his former owners. In her own words: "I got him from a rescue in Bay City, Michigan. He was once owned by someone who wasn't sure about his needs so they couldn't provide the proper care he needed to thrive. They eventually dropped him off in a box in front of a zoo at the Great Lakes Zoological Society. He was underweight, his skin was not in good shape and he needed some TLC. The zoo nursed him back to health and kept him as an educational animal to teach children about how wonderful reptiles are." (See: Abigail The Pit Bull.)
Life With Winston
An average day with Winston is very complex. It involves cleaning, feeding and spending significant time with him. Although he does his best to help with chores, Sarah admits that he usually makes things a lot more difficult and time-consuming than they need to be. He is mischievous and likes to steal paper towels and sometimes a broom. While scrubbing floors, he likes to micro-manage, taking a position on her back where he can see all and supervise her activities. Cleaning is very tiring for Winston and afterwards, he seeks to cuddle and relax on her lap. (See: Brave Blind Dog Teaches Children To See.)
Help For The Devastating Bush Fires
According to Sarah: "With Australia facing the fires ad devastation, I wanted to do something to help. I did some research after speaking to zoo-keepers and vets and...I read about different paints. I have always wanted to see how well he would do with paint but I was always nervous about chemicals being a problem. The paintings turned out beautiful and he seemed to enjoy how the paint felt on his feet." (See: Pit Bull Rescues Owner From Oncoming Train.)
So far, Curry and Winston's paintings have raised over $1,000 in revenue, all of which they have donated to the Australia Fire Relief Fund.
Good job, Winston!
Keep up the good work and kudos to Sarah Curry too!
See: Bretagne
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