Saturday, December 11, 2010

Today I Remember Mr. Oranda





This is a sculpture of Mr. Oranda. Orandas are a type of goldfish. They have a unique mass on their heads called a wen. Why I decided to buy an Oranda I do not remember. I had a fish tank so I bought a goldfish to keep me company while I lived and worked in Columbus, Ohio. The first Oranda I bought wasn't an Oranda, but just a plain goldfish. I had gone to the wrong pet store and got taken for the price of one goldfish. Later, I went to a real nice pet store that had the real Oranda goldfish and I bought one. Mr. Oranda had political power with the State government while he was alive. While he lived I enjoyed living and working in Columbus. I ate in several nice restaurants, played golf and went to football and baseball games. After Mr. Oranda died, things started to fall apart, but that didn't happen right away. During my tenure in Columbus, I made this sculpture of Mr. Oranda from metal hangers, pieces of screening and paper mache'. I saved my old Wall Street Journals and after several years of working on the sculpture, Mr. Oranda was completed. I still have Mr. Oranda the sculpture. He is a reminder of those years I spent in my state capitol working with the capital in the state insurance fund. Then I retired and became an artist. The end.

Stay tuned.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

He looks cool, Fred.

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

I thought it was a piece cast in bronze or concrete! Very neat. I bought four goldfish in November and all of them died. I don't know why. I kept the tank clean and did partial water changes every few days, I used AquaSafe in my tap water, and always let it get to room temperature before adding it. I didn't overfeed them... I don't know... they just all died. I have to get something soon because the boys have an empty tank.

moneythoughts said...

Go to a good pet store and ask them if they have any Orandas. They come in different colors and are pretty hardy. If you have a tank with a filter don't change the water that often. Goldfish can live in ponds. Put some water plants in the tank or some greens that float on top. You will know if they are orandas by the mass on their head called a wen. Give them a try.

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

I will see if they have Orandas. Someone also suggested white could minnows or zebra danios as a hardy fish.