Oh Deer! (What the Buck?)

While taking a leisurely stroll through Bellevue’s business district earlier this week, our heads cocked a little to the side when we spotted this strapping young black deer all painted up like the solar system. It seemed like a strange thing to put on the sidewalk outside an abandoned office on 108th Ave NE, but then again, this is Bellevue - a town that has hardly an inkling of the artistic stact of its sister city across the lake (ahem-EMP-cough).

A little further down the same road, we noticed a similar specimen awkwardly standing watch in front of the US Bank tower. This deer sculpture was painted like a zebra - presumably so that its deer sculpture friends-about-town wouldn’t make as much fun of it as they no doubt do over its cosmic pal up the block.

What is it with painted sculptures of animals, anyway? We thought this ridiculous trend had made its graceful exit years ago. Remember the silly pigs that were painted and spread about Seattle sidewalks not too long ago? Sure, there’s some sort of public art-meets charity auction It made sense that Buffalo, NY, featured painted Buffalo… and almost made sense that Seattle was adorned with fashionably bovine art; but deer? In Bellevue?