Houston Zoo Menu Make Memories Animal Art Every purchase helps save animals in the wild. Unique Animal Art Our keepers work to enrich the lives of the animals in their care every day by introducing fun, interesting, and complex activities, such as painting, to the animals’ daily routine. Using non-toxic paint on canvas and a little help from their keepers, our animals create their very own masterpieces. From paw prints to broad brush strokes, each artists’ creation is one of a kind. Your purchase includes: an unmatted flat canvas, a photo of the animal artist, and shipping & handling (international freight may accrue extra postal fees). ARTIST PROFILE Holiday Ornaments It’s time to deck the halls with our one-of-a-kind holiday ornaments, sure to please even the hardest to buy for family member. Each ceramic ornament is painted by one of our talented animal artists and comes with a printed photo. It’s sure to be a keepsake for years to come. Please note: We are not able to ship ornaments internationally at this time. ORNAMENTS FOR SALE Holiday Ornament Naked Mole Rat #1 Holiday Ornament Naked Mole Rat #2 Holiday Ornament Eclectus Parrot: Rainbo #5 Holiday Ornament Eclectus Parrot: Rainbo #6 Holiday Ornament Sea Lion: Cali #5 Holiday Ornament Eclectus Parrot: Rainbo #7 Holiday Ornament Asian Small Clawed Otter: Danh Tu #3 Holiday Ornament Elephant: Shanti #7 Holiday Ornament Elephant: Tilly #5 Holiday Ornament Asian Small Clawed Otter: Danh Tu #5 Holiday Ornament Elephant: Methai #4 Holiday Ornament Asian Small Clawed Otter: Danh Tu #7 Holiday Ornament Elephant Barn Dog: Max #1 Holiday Ornament Elephant: Tilly #6 ARTIST PROFILE Asian Elephants Our Asian elephant herd loves to paint, and they each have their own unique style. To make their signature elephant kisses, our elephants (with the help of their keepers) gently press their noses to the canvas leaving the special heart shaped print behind. Everyone gets in on the fun- even our patriarch Thailand. Painting is a great way that our animal care team creates meaningful relationships with each of our elephants and we love to see what creations they come up with. ART BY ELEPHANTS "Heat Wave" by Joy Elephant Kiss #1 by Baylor Elephant Kiss #2 by Baylor Elephant Kiss #4 by Baylor "Silver Phoenix" by Tess "Vintage Vibes" by Shanti "Metallic Masterpiece" by Baylor "Watercolors" by Duncan "Royalty in Rhapsody" by Methai "Pucker Up" by Tucker "Warmer Weather" by Methai "Holiday Flair" by Tupelo "En Vogue" by Shanti ARTIST PROFILE Western Lowland Gorillas The Keepers at the Houston Zoo work to enrich the lives of the animals in their care every day by adding interesting and complex activities to the animals’ daily routine. Enrichment activities are fun for both animals and keepers, and painting is an engaging activity that our Gorillas enjoy. Mike is known for leaving his signature circular wisps on the canvas, while Chaka sweeps his paint brush across the canvas from side to side filling the space with his bold strokes. These art pieces are unique, just like our Gorilla family. ART BY GORILLAS "Desert Winds" by Mike ARTIST PROFILE Sea Lions Our Sea Lions are pro painters, and love to work with their keepers to create beautiful art pieces! Using their noses, our sea lions gently press their faces into a canvas leaving heart shaped kisses behind. They also use a modified paint brush that they can hold in their mouths to swipe paint across the canvas with enthusiasm! This activity provides one-on-one interaction time with their animal care team and strengthens the relationship between the sea lions and Zoo Keepers. Plus, it results in a totally adorable painting for you! ART BY SEA LIONS "Simple Elegance" by Cali "Christmas Chaos" by Kamia "Deck the Halls" by Kamia "Making Merry" by Jonah ARTIST PROFILE Black Bear Belle and Willow came to the Houston Zoo in 2013 from California where they were being fed by patrons of a restaurant and appeared to be orphaned. US Fish and Wildlife rescued them and asked the Houston Zoo if we could offer them a home. Belle, the larger of the two, can often be seen playing in the pool and rough-housing with Willow. Willow is the mastermind behind the brawn of Belle. She is smaller and enjoys engaging with her enrichment. Their artwork is dramatic and eye-catching, with paw prints that can be seen across the canvas. ART BY BELLE AND WILLOW "Grass Stains" by Willow ARTIST PROFILE Red Pandas Li Ming and Také have lived at the Houston Zoo since 2010. They create their works of art by walking across the canvas. Thick fur covers red panda’s entire bodies, even the soles of their feet, which means you’ll see imprints of all that fur in every Red Panda paw print masterpiece. Their favorite activity, besides interacting with the Zookeepers, is sleeping. Red pandas can sleep 16-18 hours a day! They need to rest from being so cute. ART BY RED PANDAS "Shine Bright" by Také "Rainbow Fields" by Li Ming and Také "Picnic Painting" by Li Ming and Také ARTIST PROFILE Orangutans Our orangutan family enjoys painting and each work of art represents the temperament of the artists. Rudi loves to paint and often stops for “inspiration breaks” to enjoy his favorite treats. Kelly is observant and has incredible patience. Cheyenne is smart, strong-willed and though she is the oldest orangutan at the Houston Zoo, she is the youngest at heart. Whether using gentle brush strokes, bold finger marks or occasionally various mixed mediums – their artwork is guaranteed to be one of a kind. ART BY ORANGUTANS "Falling Leaves" by Cheyenne "Sunset Clouds" by Rudi ARTIST PROFILE Cheetahs It’s not unusual to see Dash & Dinari enjoying early morning walks with their animal care team before the Zoo opens to the public. One-on-one interactions like these walks, along with opportunities to create one of a kind art pieces, strengthens the relationship between Dash & Dinari and their Zoo keepers. Beginning with a blank canvas, the brothers walk through the non-toxic paint and create dynamic paintings with their large paws (and the occasional tail swipe). ART BY CHEETAHS "Autumn Sunset" by Dash "River Walk" by Dash "Dash Splash" by Dash "Pirouette" by Dash ARTIST PROFILE Okapi Kwame is 20 years old and has lived at the Houston Zoo since 2002. He loves attention from his animal care team and has never met a stranger. He is generally very curious about new people and enjoys participating in behind the scenes encounters. Kwame participates in painting by gently rubbing his face (and sometimes tongue) in the paint on the canvas, creating beautiful swirls of color. ART BY KWAME "Evening Burst" by Kwame "Change of Seasons" by Kwame "Lavender Fields" by Kwame "Firelight" by Kwame "Delicate Petals" by Kwame "In the Meadow" by Kwame ARTIST PROFILE Chimpanzees Our chimpanzee family enjoys painting and each work of art represents the temperament of the artists. Charlie is the oldest of the group, and a talented artist. Kenya may be tiny, but she has strong opinions. Scooter loves to play with the other chimpanzees in the group, while Maizey loves trainings with her keepers and trying new foods. Whether using gentle brush strokes, bold finger marks or occasionally various mixed mediums – their artwork is guaranteed to be one of a kind. ART BY CHIMPANZEES "Silver and Gold" by Lulu "Ice Cream Dream" by Charlie "Cool and Collected" by Willie "Retro Rewind" by Maizey, Lulu and Annie "Mountain Clouds" by Lulu and Maizey "Color Mixing" by Lulu and Lucy "Terrifically Teal" by Willie "Pastel Palette" by Lucy and Maizey "Wildflowers in the Wind" by Tanzee "Berry Patch" by Charlie "Twilight Garden" by Lucy "Party Time" by Willie and Annie "Olive Hues" by Lulu ARTIST PROFILE Denver the Blue and Gold Macaw Denver is one of the most active Ambassador Animals and enjoys getting personal attention from his trainers. This colorful painter has a personality as bright as his feathers and can often be heard calling to his keepers throughout the day. Denver uses a paintbrush and, holding it in his beak, moves the brush in long, sweeping strokes to create his masterpiece. ART BY DENVER New Art Coming Soon ARTIST PROFILE Cougars Celebrate your University of Houston fan with a painting made by our Cougar’s Shasta and Haley! Like their counterparts in the wild, our Cougars loves to climb and can often be seen high up on the rocks basking in the sunshine. Their unique relationship and trust in their animal care team makes for dynamic paintings, full of movement, paw prints and swirls. ART BY COUGARS "Forest Walk" by Shasta "Mossy Meadow" by Haley "Move and Groove" by Shasta ARTIST PROFILE Tapir Our talented Tapir, Noah, has created some one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Noah was born in Nashville, TN, but has been at the Houston Zoo since 2011. Baird’s tapirs, like Noah, are currently endangered. There are only about 5000 Baird’s tapirs left in the wild. Noah has played an important part in saving his species by fathering two calves at the Houston Zoo. He creates his paining’s by using his dexterous nose to move paint around on a canvas for some very expressive artwork. ART BY NOAH "Splatter Art" by Noah "Changing Times" by Noah "Los Colores" by Noah ARTIST PROFILE Clouded Leopards Tarak and Suksn came to the Houston Zoo in 2012 and as natural climbers can often be found high up in their exhibit. They are pros at painting with their paws to make unique shapes and patterns. Their delicate paw prints can be seen in every piece of art they create. ART BY CLOUDED LEOPARDS "Tippy Toes" by Suksn ARTIST PROFILE Giraffes From the tallest animals can sometimes come the most beautiful art pieces, and each painting is a reflection of the giraffes gentle nature. Our giraffe family loves to paint, and they each have their own unique style. Using their long tongues, the giraffes gently lick the non-toxic paint creating swirls of color across the canvas. A perfect gift for the giraffe fan in your life. ART BY GIRAFFES "Ice Castles" by Kamili "Bunches of Fun" by Kamili ARTIST PROFILE Lions Each piece of art reflects the personality of our lion pride and their special bond with their animal care team. Mattie, largest of the sisters, loves swimming in the moat and playing with enrichment. Uzima is the feisty one in the group and she likes to start games of chase with her sister. Hasani is our 5 year old male, and the protector of the pride. With their unique style of painting, it’s not unusual for these masterpieces to have paw prints, tail swipes and the occasional lick mark from their tongue. ART BY LIONS "Whispered Secrets" by Mattie "Dancing Rivers" by Hasani "A Dip in the Pool" by Hasani ARTIST PROFILE Jaguar Tesoro came to the Houston Zoo in 2015 from the Living Desert in California. His name is Spanish for “treasure”. To make his beautiful art creations, Tesoro’s animal care team spreads non-toxic paint across his bedroom floor, and then he walk across the canvas. The results include incredible pawprints and the occasional tail swipe. After each painting session, Tesoro is rewarded with one of his favorite treats- goats milk! ART BY TESORO "Brazilian Sunrise" by Tesoro "Playful Pawprints" by Tesoro Purchase a Custom Painting Choose your favorite artist and have a custom painting made just for you based on your color choices. Each painting is unique and each artist has his or her very different techniques. Paintings will be shipped within six weeks after you order. $250 per painting 16 x 20 flat canvas *Note: Custom Pieces are not currently available for purchase. Please check back again soon for updates CHOOSE YOUR ARTIST Tiger While walking across a canvas, evidence of Berani’s large, powerful paws are found in every piece he creates. The artwork is a true testament to Berani’s strong relationship with his animal care team. Orangutan Kelly and the rest of our orangutan family enjoy painting and each work of art represents the temperament of the artists. Whether using gentle brush strokes, bold finger marks or occasionally various mixed mediums – their artwork is guaranteed to be one of a kind. Elephant Using their dexterous trunks and an elephant sized artist’s palette, our elephant herd creates paintings that are true works of art. ABOUT US VOLUNTEER CAREERS ZOO NEWS BLOG NEWSROOM 6200 Hermann Park Drive Houston, TX 77030 Directions & Parking 713-533-6500 Contact Us Facebook Twitter Instagram Accredited by Association of Zoos & Aquariums The Houston Zoo is a registered 501(c)(3) organization © 2021 Houston Zoo, all rights reserved. Privacy Policy