When you think of raccoons, the word “artist” may not come to mind. However, it probably should because it turns out these creatures are pretty adept at bringing a painting to life. There’s a whole bunch of rescue raccoons that have been captivating the internet with their finger painting masterpieces and the fact that they take so much pride in their work.

How It All Started

The phenomenon began a few years ago when Tito the raccoon was adopted and introduced to social media. He built up a following with his cute posts that aimed to prove that not all raccoons are rabid and mean. Eventually, he began to have fun with finger painting – or, we suppose, paw painting – and from there, his artistic skills developed. Since then, several other raccoons – Piper and Cheeto – have also been adopted, and it seems they too love nothing more than to be artistic.

Anything Is Possible

According to animal behaviorist Suzanne MacDonald, raccoons being artists isn’t that crazy of a concept. She says that with enough patience and positive reinforcement, any animal can be trained to paint. Of course, you don’t see a ton of pets gaining followings online with their works of art. That’s probably because they don’t seem as pleased with themselves as these raccoons do when they show off their work.

Worked Out For The Best

Tito’s owners never intended to adopt the raccoon, but after failing to get him into any rehabilitation centers, he joined their family. Evidently, that was for the best because now he and his other raccoon friends are thriving. There aren’t many animals that can claim to be successful artists and online celebrities, so Tito, Piper, and Cheeto are definitely living the good life.

If nothing else, we hope that seeing the smiles on these raccoons brought a bit of sunshine to your day. We all deserve to be as happy as these animals.

AppHarvest is a revolutionary startup that aims to restore the economically suffering communities of Appalachia, the former coal country, and reposition it as a thriving agricultural hub. The best part? That plan is already on the way.

The Kentucky-Based Company With a Mission to Save the Appalachia

AppHarvest is currently building some of the world’s largest indoor farms, with its first harvest already on the shelves of stores like Kroger and Walmart. The company recently went public and managed to attract Martha Stewart herself as a board member. Several of its facilities are already producing fruits and vegetables, and AppHarvest is on its way to becoming the national leader in alternative farming.

Their three huge indoor farms are located in Appalachia and are able to produce 30 times more food compared to a traditional farm. Those numbers are a result of the cutting-edge indoor technology, space-saving, and rainwater recycling that AppHarvest is using in all of its facilities.

A Sustainable Approach to Food Production

In a recent press release, Martha Stewart praised the successful first harvest of the company, stating that its sustainable approach “is the future of food.” That future consists of nutrient-rich, pesticide-free, and flavorful produce that will really make a difference. The company’s Morehead Kentucky headquarters boast impressive numbers: they can grow about 45 million pounds of chemical pesticide-free, non-GMO tomatoes each year, regardless of the burden of the seasons. Stewart shared she’s already testing the first batch of tomatoes and can’t wait to use them in her famous recipes.

Carefully nested in Appalachia, the farms are just a day’s drive from more than 80% of the American population. That way, AppHarvest is both able to keep its promise to help Appalachian communities thrive and make sure its produce is reaching markets fresh and quickly.

The future’s looking bright, too. With over $1 billion secured in financing, AppHarvest is hoping to have a total of 12 indoor farms up and running within the next four years.