Sweet Summer Sunsets- A Robert Irwin FanFic

Ashley

Terri raised an eyebrow. "Okay," She said, "You have my attention."

I took a deep breath. "Well, to be fair, it was mostly Robert's idea and of course, we can do it together. And Cait had a few suggestions too. But, Robert had the idea of doing painting classes with the animals. He suggested we could possibly teach some of the animals to paint- like getting an elephant to hold a paintbrush or dipping an otter's paws or a macaw's feet in paint and have them run along a canvas. It'll be all non-toxic paints of course," I started.

"And Cait suggested we could also put some paint down on the canvas itself, put a plastic wrap over it, and then put a bit of tuna or something so the cheetahs can like it off and smear the paint by doing so and essentially paint with their tongues," Robert added.

"And, if you like the idea, we can sell the paintings in the gift shop or online and include, either attached to the back of the painting or as a separate card that comes with it, a sheet that says which animal painted it, their species, status in the wild, and what we do to help that species here at Australia Zoo. And of course, the funds from it will go back to wildlife conservation. And if it's a hit with guests, we could even set up experiences where they can watch the animals paint and for the price of the experience, get to keep the painting," I finished. I took a deep breath, anticipating what Terri was going to say.

"That is a wonderful idea!" She said, her grey eyes sparkling.

"You think so?" I asked, perking up a bit. If Terri likes this idea and Robert and I can start painting with the animals, I would be ecstatic.

"Definitely! We can start with just a few of the animals and depending on how much the guests like it, teach more of the animals how to paint and then eventually move up to doing the experiences with guests where they can see the painting in action and keep the painting."

"Yeah, starting small is totally okay and we can build our way up," Robert said. I looked over at him and smiled. I never would have thought of this if it weren't for him.

"I agree. And of course, we'll clean everything up and the animals and make sure there's nothing that can harm them or get left behind in their enclosure or wherever we choose to do this," I said, trying to reassure Terri that we were going to be responsible about this.

"Well, of course. I know you two would know better than to leave behind a mess or put any of the animals at risk. Why don't you start with Queto and the otters, since they're already pretty familiar with being handled by you two?" Terri asked.

"That would be wonderful! Queto would make the cutest little footprints, and his feet would be easy to wash," I said.

"And I'm guessing you already have non-toxic paint and spare canvases?" Robert asked cheekily.

"Of course I do!" I said, laughing.

"Well, if you two want to get started on that after Christmas, I think that would be a great thing for you two to experiment with between then and the new year. And then you can design the sheets with the animal info, just make sure to include the Australia Zoo logo. And maybe put "painted by" or "artist" and then the animal's name," Terri said, making the last few suggestions.

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Thank you so much, Terri!" I said, getting up.

"Thanks, mum!" Robert said, getting up as well. We gave each other a small glance. We went around her desk and stood on either side of her, and then swallowed her up in a small group hug.

We all laughed, and Terri hugged us back, which was a bit awkward as she was still sitting in her chair.

"Well, is there anything else you two need?" She asked once we let go.