Ozzy Osbourne may have just played his final concert, but the Metal Madman is still channeling his creative energies into some interesting and positive projects.
The rock legend recently collaborated on some original paintings with some chimpanzees who reside at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. The artwork is currently being auctioned at OmegaAuctions.uk to raise money for the humane facility.
Save the Chimps provides long-term care for apes who have been rescued from research laboratories, the pet trade, poorly run zoos, and the entertainment industry.
Ozzy and various chimps have teamed up to create five different abstract paintings. Osbourne painted a multi-colored base coat on each canvas to which the chimps added their own unique smears of paint. Osbourne has signed the paintings, which are 20-by-20 inches in size.
“I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don’t sell my paintings,” Osbourne said in a statement. “I’ve made an exception with these collaborations as it raises money for Save the Chimps, a sanctuary for hundreds of apes rescued from labs, roadside zoos and wildlife traffickers.”
The five paintings have been named for various albums and songs by Osbourne and Black Sabbath. The pieces are titled “Technical Ecstasy,” “Electric Funeral,” “Blizzard of Ozz,” “Tattooed Dancer,” and “Paranoid.” Ozzy collaborated with chimps named Kramer, Sable, Sophie, and Janice.
The pieces are up for bid through 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 17. Each has a starting bid of 1,000 pounds (about $1,350).
Comments from Sharon Osbourne and Save the Chimps Exec Dan Mathews
Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon, also offered up a statement about Ozzy’s painting collaboration of the fundraising efforts.
“Chimps are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, and I’m really proud of Ozzy for helping look after them,” she said. “These paintings will not only raise much needed funds for the sanctuary, they’ll help promote awareness to the public.”
Added Save the Chimps events director Dan Mathews, “Painting is just one of many enrichment activities we offer our residents. Some really enjoy it, while others prefer food puzzles, foraging activities, or picture books.”
More About Save the Chimps
Save the Chimps was founded in 1997, and is situated on 150 acres in Fort Pierce. It’s the world’s largest privately funded chimpanzee sanctuary.
Among the other celebrities who have lent their support to Save the Chimps are Jane Goodall, Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, The B-52s Alan Cumming, and Gillian Anderson.
Ozzy’s Other Recent Animal Charity Support
Ozzy also recently has helped support a U.K. campaign calling for a ban on trophy hunting. To raise money for that initiative, the rock legend designed a special T-shirt that’s on sale now at CampaigntoBanTrophyHuntingStore.com.
Osbourne also has autographed some of the shirts, which were auctioned off at OmegaAuctions.uk .
