Hand Painted Memorials by Master Artist Laura Glusha

If you haven't heard the story about a baby monkey at the Los Angeles Zoo who sucks his toe, then you should pick up the book entitled "Suck-a-toe" by Laura Glusha, a master artist and illustrator and co-author along with Sister Mary Dorothy Stirling who wrote the successful book about the rehabilitation of an abused baby monkey. 

The artist learned early on that one of the most important things is love and caring - life’s greatest gift. Having spent more than 30 years at the Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park studying and drawing wildlife, Glusha met the little De Brazza monkey in 1972 when it was two days old. Rejected at birth by its mother and abused by the father, the baby monkey was not expected to live.

Glusha developed a special bond with the monkey and began a five year relationship with animal keepers during its rehabilitation. This led her to create her beautifully illustrated book, "Suck-a-toe" produced in collaboration with the keepers at the Los Angeles Zoo. The book is now in many public elementary schools and libraries throughout Southern California.

Most recently Glusha's work includes hand painted pet memorial art on semi-precious stones that serve as a remembrance for all animals, from cats and dogs, to pet bunnies, birds and horses. Gemstones and rocks come to life as she creates works of art, working in mediums such howlite stone, petrified wood, jasper, agate and jade. She brings each animal to life by matching the characteristics of its photograph with the characteristics of the stones.

Glusha is a commercial artist, painter and teacher with many years in the fields of fashion and children's illustration. Her early training was that of a medical artist which then led to a lifetime interest in biological sciences. In 1976 she produced a series of 12 painting of endangered species that were exhibited at the Los Angeles Zoo. She taught airbrush and photo retouching at UCLA from 1980-1987, and "Even You Can Draw" at Palomar College from 1992-1997.

She also did a drawing book of endangered species featuring the panda and the penguin, and a group of murals of the rain forest for the pediatric clinic of the Caremore Medical Group in Los Angeles. Glusha formed a company called Nature's Shadows focusing on the environment to involve children in animals and their habitats with Karen Muldrew, a puppeteer, writer and teacher. She has studied with some of the most proficient and recognized artists and teachers of our time, and now Glusha has reached the master level.

Glusha continues to privately teach students with extraordinary results in addition to designing pet memorial art. Her most recent illustrations can be seen in 'P.T's Big Surprise', a children's book published in 2007. Her work is also available at www.peternity.com.

Technorati Tags: pet memorial, pet memorials, pet urn, cat urn, dog urn, dog urns, Laura Glusher, baby monkey, Los Angeles Zoo