Absence Makes the Art Grow Fonder

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July 8, 2020
Zoo Update with Tom Jacobson
July 8, 2020

Emily Klein is an aspiring artist with a penchant for Muriel’s Ranch. Photo courtesy the Klein Family

Emily Klein’s artwork connects her family with Muriel’s Ranch residents and staff.

In 2018, GLAZA members Bert and Jen Klein began visiting the Zoo regularly so that their daughter, Emily, could sketch the animals. They gravitated toward the goats at Muriel’s Ranch—who are always willing models—and began to fall in love with them.

“My family and I visit multiple times a week, but almost every time we spend the entire day at Muriel’s Ranch!” Emily, who is now 12 years old, explains. “I enjoy the Ranch because it’s the only place where you can interact with the animals. The goats are the best subjects to draw because they will sit still for hours. If you don’t like the angle you are getting, you can move. With other animals, there’s usually just one angle to view them so you don’t have much control. I love drawing the goats, because you get much more control of your drawing.”

“Both of my parents are artists,” she continues, “and I drew a lot when I was little, but I didn’t start drawing seriously until my father and I first came to the Zoo. I always bring my sketchbook to the Zoo. Most of the time, it’s filled with goats, but I draw some other animals, too. There are many artists who inspire me, and I aspire to be at their level some day. Some of those artists are Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Peter Han, and David DePasquale.”

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The Zoo is an important part of the homeschool curriculum for Emily and her brother Aaron. Photo courtesy the Klein Family

While Emily sketched for hours, her brother Aaron waited. He noticed a sheep named Faye who would not tolerate any visitors petting her and he took this up as a challenge. He spent months earning Faye’s trust, and his patience paid off. Faye now approaches Aaron to be groomed and allows him to hug her. They have developed a bond that is unique. Aaron doesn’t groom Faye just for the hugs though—spending time with the animals is very therapeutic and always puts him in a good mood. “Whenever I’m stressed, grooming Faye makes me calm,” he says. “If I go a day without seeing her I’m very unhappy!”

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Aaron has a special connection with Faye the Shetland sheep. Photo courtesy the Klein Family

Bert and Jen, who are both animation artists, are homeschooling Emily and Aaron, and these experiences inspired them to make the Zoo an integral part of their curriculum. The Nigerian dwarf goats have served as the basis for a genetics project and as subjects for creative writing assignments. The goats and sheep have inspired Zoo diorama designs and discussions about animal digestion and diets, not to mention countless art projects. Aaron gave a presentation on Shetland sheep for the homeschool group in which the Kleins participate, and currently, the family is learning how to process wool from fleece to thread.

“The Zoo is our biology/science classroom,” Jen explains. “We ask the keepers, Learning and Engagement staff, and volunteers questions about the animals and get an incredible wealth of first-hand knowledge and information from them. We see these three branches of Zoo educators working together every day and we thank them for their passion, enthusiasm, and generosity to our family and to every visitor. Muriel's Ranch is a treasure—a truly important place where children develop empathy and make connections with the animals. You can imagine how much we are missing it!”

During the Zoo closure, Emily created portraits of the goats that were shared with Ranch hands during National Volunteer Week in April. The illustrations were a big hit and have since been made into fabric used for cloth face masks. The Kleins donated about a dozen to the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo staff and volunteers, who have been wearing them proudly, many sporting masks that feature favorite individual goats or goat families.

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Cloth masks featuring Emily’s goat art were a big hit with Muriel’s Ranch staff and volunteers. Photos courtesy of the Klein Family and Cynthia Reynosa

“All the animals at the Ranch have unique personalities, and when you go so often, you learn their names, their traits, their silly habits,” Emily observes. “When I discovered this, I found that it helps my drawings look more lively and playful. Take Glory the goat, for example. She’s got a ton of personality. She’s super sassy, and will follow you for ‘scratchies.’ Glory also makes silly faces at people and loves to eat, as all goats do. Freckles, the largest, will repeatedly rub his big head against the metal rings that hold my book together. Bert, one of my favorites, also does this. The rest of the goats just want to eat the paper. They are paper piranhas! I apply all of this information to my drawings.”

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Aaron’s favorite mug features one of his sister’s portraits of Faye the Shetland sheep. Photo courtesy of the Klein Family

Emily dreams of becoming a Ranch volunteer one day when she meets the minimum age requirement, but in the meantime she contents herself with being a guest and looks forward to once again visiting the animals and people at Muriel’s Ranch. “I hope they are all doing well!” she says. “I miss Remy, the adorable badger, and I also miss Reisha the horse, and Pua and Petunia the pigs. I miss Ozzie, the goats’ guard dog—he’s such a good boy! I miss the goats and sheep dearly, and I wish the Zoo would open sooner!”

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family

Emily is inspired by the goats at Muriel’s Ranch and many other L.A. Zoo residents! Images courtesy of Emily Klein and Family