"Orangutan" is based on a childhood trip that Nancy Brown took to the Los Angeles Zoo.
Nancy took the photo of the titular subject depicted in Orangutan. Back when she saw the exhibit it wasn't all that good with a fake tree and cement surrounding the orangutan, so for the quilt she wanted to put him in a nice natural background full of lush foliage and trees that she pieced. Since that initial trip, Nancy has returned to the LA Zoo and is happy to report that the orangutans are living a happier life in a much more naturalistic exhibit.
