Wishing on a Hippo?

Some time ago, I already published a hippo made by Jen Robinson on my blog (see post: Hippopottermiss). I purchased that and this hippo during the same event: The Annual International Hippopotamus Convention, taking place in Branson, Misouri, October 2013. Beforehand, many jokes were made about certain people  kicking, pushing and jumping the line, so my imagination had gone wild. I expected a huge pile of hippo-lovers, having come to a halt against the table of Jen, after a desperate dash turned into a stampede. Too much coffee is to blame. The sale of Jen-Pos turned out to be a rather civilized and friendly affair. It could be that I have missed "the action". Not enough coffee would be to blame for that. 

When I took this photo, I had a post in mind about a relaxing hippo. Having his feet already up in the air, all what needed to be added was a soft and comfy cushion. But then I started playing with settings. Before I knew it, the very light peachy colored hippo, with little bit darker stars, on a bright red cushion, turned into this black and white converted, blue tones decreased and contrast increased, creation. And the longer I looked at it, the more I started to like this image. 

Dear Jen, I hope you are not too shocked to see your work back, like this. Of course, the cuteness and playfulness of your hippo is to blame, I am sure he set me up to it. I am looking forward to see you again in a few months... in the meantime, this hippo is wishing for a new companion... as he already has some stars, is he wishing on a hippo? 

Hippo-Happiness from Holland

This time not a first, but a latest! A wonderful water color painting. The name of the maker is rather hard to read, but it is made in the year 2000. Like all the other painting I have, this one comes with a story too. A very sweet one. Once in a while, I am looking for hippos on a Dutch site called: Marktplaats, which means market place. It is comparable with e-bay. A few months ago, I saw this painting up for auction, and I loved it right away. Luckily for me I did not have to enter a bidding war. A few weeks later, it arrived at my home, with a surprise. The seller had included a photograph of a hippo, taken at the Noorder Dierenpark (Northern Zoo), in The Netherlands, with the (translated) title: Clean water for the hippos, June 2002. Her son, working for a Dutch newspaper, had arranged this print. How incredibly sweet and thoughtful is that? Dear Gerrie from Mariahout :-), thank you so much for your efforts to get the painting and photo to me. If you ever find another hippo painting at an art fair, and you like it, please let me know. I completely trust your eye, when it comes to hippo art. And thank you for proving my believe that Hippo-Happiness comes in all sizes and shapes... and from everywhere. This time, all the way from Holland!

Looking Like An Egyptian

In Dutch, hippos are called: Horses of the Nile. I am sure the artist was inspired by their origin, before putting some eye liner on this mum, making her look like an Egyptian queen.

I have this wooden hippo in many different sizes, two large sized (size of a football) mum and dad, two teenagers and two babies. I bought them at the Phat Pong Night Market in Bangkok, Thailand. The place to be if you are looking for fake watches and bags, visit the go go bars or (apparently) want to buy a hippo family. I think the owner of the souvenirs shop saw the golden opportunity to get rid of all his hippos at once... looking at the layers of dust and dirt, I figured he must have had them for a while. To make a long story short, the price for one hippo was about the same as for the whole bloat. Needless to say, I hauled the whole family home. 

I thought about putting them all together in one "family photo", but it just did not come out the way I liked it. After trying different things, I liked this "Mum-and-Dad-Kiss" best. Of course, I did not take this photograph in front of the kids...., we would not want them to witness that, now would we? 

Bangkok's Beauties

Thought it is time for another painting, and another first. Not my first painting (see post: Hippos by Jaap Venema), but my first hippo painting ordered in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2010. This was before I met all my friends at the art section of the Chatuchak (JJ) Weekend Market, and before I would have many more paintings made. As we had lived in Bangkok before, I was very happy to be back at my most favorite place to shop. I came across a tiny open-front-shop where a lady was sitting on the ground, painting away. Mostly elephants, decorated with pretty flowers. I sat down next to her, going through her photo book of her work. I took my time, because I was enjoying the cool breeze from the fan. It gave me a good excuse to escape the sweltering heat and humidity for a while. As expected, no hippos in her book so I asked her if she could paint hippos. Of course she could. Then the conversation became a bit difficult, as she did speak little English, and I couldn't (and still can't...) speak Thai. So I pointed at one of her other paintings, saying I would love to have the same color as background. The rest was up to her. The result: a beautiful painting of a hippo mum with her two babies, pretty flowers and all. Now, the thing is... I can find her shop, but I can't explain to anybody how to get there. If I ever come back to JJ Weekend Market, I will look for her, ask her name card, and put the information below. Every time I passed the shop, it was busy, so I think she is doing well. But it would have been nice for her to know, after today, many more people can see and enjoy her work.