By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Some unusual artists will be featured in the Hays Arts Council Art Walk on Saturday.
Some of them have no hands or feet. One of them has six legs, and a couple of them are furry and have whiskers.
The creatures in the Sternberg Museum of Natural History outreach program have created their own art pieces with the help of their human caretakers.
The artwork will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Indigo by Jasmine, 111 W. Eighth. Proceeds from the sale of the art will used for the care of the animals and insects in the Sternberg's collection.
Several of the Sternberg's snakes created art for the project, said Rachel Unruh, marketing and public relations coordinator.
The museum's bull snakes, Jason and Jacob; Mazie, a juvenile spectacled kingsnake; Oreo, a young California kingsnake; and Pretzel, a prairie rat snake, all created paintings.
Canvases were placed in totes or on the floor, non-toxic paint of varying colors was added to the canvases and the snakes were allowed to slither over the canvases to create their masterpieces.
Jason's handler said he loved his long, warm bath after his painting session.
Jacob is 6 feet long. Since he is so big, he leaves the best scale prints when he paints, his handlers said. Making art is a great enrichment for Jacob because he gets to slither all over and explore a new place and smells.
Mazie leaves breath-taking scale patterns and cute tail swirls, according to the Sternberg Facebook page.
Oreo is very enthusiastic when it comes to painting and always knows how to pose for the perfect picture, his handlers said on Facebook.
Ladybug, an albino red-eared slider tortoise, created several paintings.
"Ladybug is pretty popular around here for being a sweet and interactive turtle," her handlers said. "She is no different when it comes to painting. She loves all the bright colors and the treats that she gets as a reward."
Unruh said she was never a huge fan of turtles, but she fell in love with Ladybug and her art.
"There is a photo of her, her mouth is open and she's like 'Oh my gosh. Look at what I just did. I'm so excited.' She is so cute. ...
"She's so photogenic because she just loves attention, and she is definitely like a lady. She's polite about things. I didn't realize how much of a personality a turtle can have until I met Miss Ladybug."
Unruh said she thought the most aesthetically pleasing paintings came from the museum's hissing cockroach, Picasso.
"I was surprised how well his paintings come out for a cockroach," Unruh said. "I don't think a lot of people think about a cockroach painting."
She said the paintings reminded her of those of the French post-Impressionist artist Georges-Pierre Seurat. The dots the cockroach made when it scampered across the canvas mimicked the dots in Seurat's pointillism paintings, Unruh said.
Mocha and Toffee are two of the Sternberg's rats.
"They are wiggle bottoms that never stop moving," their handlers said. "Painting with these guys is so great because it give us the opportunity to see how smart they are, and bath time after is always fun."
Those who wish to purchase paintings can reserve them Saturday, but the paintings will need to be picked up and paid for at the museum on Monday.
Prices for the paintings will vary depending on size.
If paintings don't sell at the art walk, they will be available for sale at the museum gift shop.