Profound primates: Artist offers free prints of paintings that inspired future stories

Hugo, Montey, Beanie and Congo: You probably haven’t heard of these primates yet, but they could be destined for primetime — and your wall.

Aleah Harris-Hosea, a California artist with Montgomery ties, created them and has plans for an anime series and more. But before that, she’s offering prints of her oil and acrylic primate paintings to everyone for free, with four options to choose from.

“One day while painting in my studio, suddenly a story about an intriguing group of primates traveling abroad and witnessing that great flood came pouring into my imagination,” said Harris-Hosea, who lives and works in Loma Linda, Calif.

From that, the ideas for “Journey to the Ark: A Chimp’s Redemption” came pouring in as a fresh take on the biblical story of Noah’s ark.

Her creations are a diverse group — two chimpanzees (Montey and Beanie), a silverback gorilla (Congo), and a black crested mangabey monkey (Hugo).

“As I began to create these characters, the story began to come alive on the canvas,” she said. “Once I began bringing their tale to life with paint and canvas, I realized that I didn't want to stop there.”

Harris-Hosea — who many in Montgomery will remember as the former assistant manager and house artist at Wishbone Café —  said she wants to explore the story from the animals’ perspective.

“I plan to expand beyond paintings and bring these lively fellows to various other mediums, such as children's books, animation, and digital platforms for storytelling,” Harris-Hosea said.

Meet the primates

Harris-Hosea has been developing the characters behind her four primate images:

Hugo, a natural-born leader, has a prophetic dream of a colossal flood that threatens their forest home. He realizes they must reach Noah's Ark to survive. His favorite quote: "In the midst of darkness, faith becomes our guiding light."

Congo is Hugo’s best friend and a protector who values life — even the life of those the silverback ape must battle, including a deadly serpent. His quote: "In the face of challenges, true strength lies not just in victory, but in the grace and compassion we extend even to our adversaries."

Montey, also known as Mo, is an intelligent and serious chimp with a challenging upbringing, a demanding father and anger issues. He undergoes a transformation after being rescued. Montey’s quote:  "Through the darkness of my past, I found light in the compassion of others, and it changed me forever."

Beanie is a chimp with tech skills who is good a solving problems, communication and navigation. However, he’s been separated from his family by the violent storm that’s causing the flood. The lost chimp is found by Hugo and Congo, and joins their journey. He communicates through a special watch that he created. Beanie’s quote: "In the depths of the soul, we find a spiritual connection that guides us through the storms and leads us to unity, love, and a higher purpose."

How to get your free print

For now, you’ll have to choose which free chimp print to get — Hugo, Montey, Beanie or Congo. They come in individual 5” x 7” prints of Harris-Hosea’s portraits and she has a limited number of them available. The prints — one per person — are made with high-quality ink on 320 gsm cardstock.

While they are free, there’s a $5.90 charge to cover shipping and handling. Order them online at www.artprintsbyaleah.com

To contact Harris-Hosea, call 909-284-1496 or write to her at info@artprintsbyaleah.com.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Artist offering free prints of her profound primate paintings