koopa's escape...art (behind painting door)

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koopa's escape...art (behind painting door)

this layout gives a visual overview of koopa the world famous artist created his 398th painting. i planned the arrangement of the photos to show his movement, the progression of the piece, and to show the play on words in the title: his "escape" (as in something he loves to do: ART) and literally as he walks right off the page!

the photo of the open door that uses the chipboard letters to spell "create" reveals the signed back of the canvas. (the formerly green E and the T were covered with s.e.i. paper to coordinate with the color scheme instead of clashing) when this door is closed it shows a close up of the completed painting.

behind each little door asking the "pertinent journal questions" on twill ribbon is the answers...
the top circles on the "door knobs" are authentic koopa foot prints, the larger circles below are punched out from photos of my "sugar turtle" painting.

WHO is Koopa? He is a Gulf Coast box turtle, named after the Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers character. He resides in Hartford, Connecticut with his owner Kira Varszegi. He is TheWORLD’S most famous PAINTING TURTLE!

WHAT started this? Kira was sitting on the floor painting an abstract portrait on a tiny tabletop easel. She got up to take a break, and when she returned “there sat Koopa happily bathing in a sea of paint!” after she cleaned him up she really noticed the canvas and how well blended the paints were. She thought the world needed to see this artist. So she set a goal…for Koopa to be the first international box turtle artist with paintings in all 50 states and on every continent, except Antarctica. To date his art hangs in 48 states, and several other countries!

WHEN does Koopa paint? He creates in the evenings when it is quiet, up to three masterpieces a week. Kira does her part by squirting the paint onto the canvas and then it’s Koopa’s turn. He starts at one edge of the canvas making his way across the vast surface in whatever direction suits him. He blends the colors with his feet, and belly, leaving behind broad strokes and signature claw-marks. He heads back and forth until the canvas is absolutely a “work of art”! When I explained to the girlies that the painting was a gift from Nanny, they inquired, “Nanny got a turtle? He paints just like Jethro! (Our German shepherd)” -pretty funny that they had no issues with a turtle painting- art must be a natural part of everybody’s life!

WHERE can you find his work? His paintings are sold on Ebay or you can find him at www.turtlekiss.com . Most of the auctions start at 51 cents and go up from there. If you are the winning bidder on a “blank canvas to be -painted” you get to choose the color scheme to suit your decorative needs and you have the option to start the painting off with a “message” or a random design. You will receive a c.d. with about 30 pictures on it…perfect for scrap booking! The final bid on my painting was $113.00. it was Koopa’s 398th creation!!!

WHY did I want one? Simply because I love turtles, and I love art! What a unique treat, especially since I was able to choose the colors to match my S.E.I. inspired studio, in fact to get them exact I sent Kira the link to the Sweetie line at www.shopsei.com so she could choose the paints accordingly. I named my painting “Sugar Turtle”, in honor of the Sugar Daddy paper. On a more meaningful note, Kira and Koopa donate 20% of their proceeds to turtle conservation and rescue groups. To date they’ve sold over 400 paintings and have given over $10,000. to help other turtles!!!

products used:
s.e.i.: sweetie line paper; main squuze, sugar daddy, and love muffin
imagination project: coasters; afternoon tea alphabet
heidi swapp: chipboard words; travel