Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Halls of Wild Wonder


Wonderful news from Napatopia where I had a major case of beaver-envy yesterday that I am still smarting over. This time it was twofold, and while the second will require no explanation whatsoever for readers of this website, the first needs some introduction. Fortunately it came provided in the form of an article from the Napa Register.

Chalk artist inspires novices to create ‘wild’ paintings in Napa Valley

YOUNTVILLE — If you’re planning to visit the Napa Valley Museum this week, look down – you might just find a work of art at your feet.

Local artist Amy Gallaher Hall was joined by children and their families to create street art on the museum patio during the museum’s Free Family Fun Day on Saturday. The Yountville event was from 2 to 4 p.m., but Hall started creating her masterpiece, “Napa’s Wild Neighbors,” at about 6:30 a.m. It took the whole day for her to create the 50-square-foot photo-realistic sidewalk painting, which depicted a bobcat, quail, red-tailed hawk, beaver, and a king salmon.

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Beaver and Bobcat: Amy Gallagher Hall

The art was used as inspiration for the families coming to create their own art.

The museum supplied the chalk pastels – which Hall says show up better than normal sidewalk chalk – but visitors were allowed to create whatever art they wanted.

Jaidyn Fay, 9, decided to paint the faces of a fox and a deer.

“I love art,” Jaidyn said. He said he loves drawing animals, but that he was inspired to draw a fox by his friend who draws them really well.

If you’ll notice that beaver drawing actually has the correct teeth on the bottom which I have never EVER seen an artist do. Obviously Amy has spent some time at the beaver pond too. Of course I wrote her about our plucky little story and what a huge admirer I was of her prodigious  talent. I praised the family activity and invited her with the most glowing terms possible to stop by our beaver festival where her engaging work would be a true show-stopper.

But apparently I’m imminently resistible at the moment, and I’ve heard no response (yet).

Amy Gallager Hall is also a graphic and website designer with a stunning website who is obviously used to working for top dollar. Here she is doing an Italian street painting festival in San Rafael. Looking at those spendid, wild themes and colors it’s hard to imagine that she never was tempted by the once famous Martinez beaver story that is  not all that far away.

Did our story never made it as far as Napa?

I have a little fantasy that someone who knows Amy will be a follower of this website and just nudge us into her view. Or that maybe if I just type her name over and over again with plenty of links to her website she will stumble upon us in a google search.

But if that all fails, and she has the superhuman power to resist my not inconsiderable beaver charms in every other way, I’m not worried. Sure Martinez isn’t wealthy like Napa or cultured like San Rafael, and sure, we have a refinery in the middle of our town and no beavers at the moment – BUT there is one secret weapon I have and it’s the cause of the second beaver-envy I mentioned earlier.

I know where she could find at least two of these, and if she says she’ll come to the beaver festival I’ll even introduce her to the man who sees them every day.

OWWWWWWWW
Napa kit in the morning: Rusty Cohn

 

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