A recent art exhibition in Florida honored the animal often seen as man’s most intelligent friend, the dolphin.

The “Dolphins on Parade” exhibition in the Florida Keys featured life-sized decorates dolphin paintings made of wood and the cost of materials. The dolphins were shown at area business and along the beach. Sponsors paid U.S. $750 to cover the artists’ fee and the cost of materials.

There were more than 100 dolphin themes, including a beer-belly dolphin. They showed the work of local artists, as well as the beach atmosphere the Keys are famous for.

Probably the most unique was special because of its artist, Pandora. Pandora the dolphin painter is area dolphin, art the Dolphin Research center, in Marathon, Florida. The playful artist streakscolors across a dolphin painting holding a brush in its mouth.

The exhibition was held by the Monroe [Florida] Council of the Arts as part of a plan to make the Keys an international arts center. The paintings were to be auctioned off in March, with the money earned going to community art programs.