Sometimes as an artist, you create for a purpose, a message so great it must be communicated through art. Other times, you pick up the brush just for fun.

Bonobo is a simple painting of a Bonobo ape, based on a photo I found in National Geographic. I love apes, and when doodling I usually default to them and other primates. On an 8x11 canvas board, I painted this ape in an afternoon Alla Prima, placing each brushstroke once with minimal blending and thick paint for texture.

It was an exercise in fun and freedom, and it became one of my favorite paintings. The ape, sitting with mouth agape and eyes on the trees, has nothing to lose and nothing to gain: a peaceful simplicity often envied by mankind.