Artist Mateo Blanco turns dog hair into portraits of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson
ORLANDO, Fla.(Dec. 8, 2014) – Imagine what a creative artist might do with ordinary dog hair. Yesterday it was lying all over the floor, but with a little Help from artist Mateo Blanco, it’s now an amazing portrait of John Lennon.
John Lennon portrait made entirely from dog hair
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has acquired three of Blanco’s portraits – created entirely from dog hair – and will unveil them at Ripley’s Orlando Odditorium on Friday, December 12 at 10 am. Blanco will be there, along with Edward Meyer, Ripley’s VP of Exhibits and Archives.
Blanco used only dog hair to create images of John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix. He was listening to some of Lennon’s songs when he got the itch to pay homage to the legendary performers and decided dog hair would be a challenging medium to use – and one readily available from his local groomer.
Blanco, a Colombian-American opera singer who has performed his own songs for millions of people around the world, is a fan of using unusual media for his artwork. Earlier this year, Ripley’s acquired three pop culture portraits he created entirely out of sugar, two which are on display at Ripley’s Odditoriums.
The new Michael Jackson portrait will stay on display at Ripley’s Orlando Odditorium; John Lennon is headed for Ripley’s Mexico City; Jimi Hendrix is destined for Ripley’s Key West Odditorium.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando is conveniently located at 8201 International Drive, and is open daily from 9:00 am to midnight (last entry nightly at 11:00 pm). For more information, please visit www.ripleys.com/orlando or call 407-345-0501.
Media Contacts
Edward Meyer
VP, Exhibits & Archives
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
407-345-8010 – office
407-492-8256 – cell
meyer@ripleys.com
Troy Feder
Manager, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium
407-345-0501
feder@ripleys.com
About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 12 million people visit its 90-plus attractions in 9 countries each year. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.
