9″x12 acrylic on board, 2013. This epic Mother’s Day portrait features the favorite childhood toys of five grown-up siblings. It will be given by Jennifer, whose yellow doll is shown here in a restored state… it is presently a faded and faceless shadow of its former self! One of Jennifer’s brothers carried the white dog with him everywhere. The blue bear was given to another brother when he was born, and the floppy lamb belonged to Jennifer’s sister. The green Baby Bop from the Barney show was the favorite of another sister, a huge fan of the program as a kid. I love the idea of each member of a family represented in a portrait by the object he or she treasures most!
Tag: lamb
Grumpy Sheep
8×10 acrylic, 2013. This grouchy stuffed sheep lifted the mood of my entire household during the process of making his portrait. There’s something about his of-kilter lean and comically stunned expression that just made anyone passing by my easel snort with laughter or at least smile! This toy was the childhood favorite of Tara, who is expecting her first baby this May. The painting will hang in the baby’s nursery alongside my portrait of Tara’s husband’s own stuffed bunny. incorporating paintings of parents’ beloved toys is a super charming idea for nursery décor!
Little Lamb
This little stuffed lamb is mostly called “Doggy” by six-year-old Hero, who pulls it around the house on a pink leash. Hero’s mother Erynn has learned that, as a result, Doggy’s white wool can be used to gauge of the cleanliness of the floors… who knew there was so much dirt on those tiles? This is the third of three portraits commissioned by Erynn her daughters’ favorite toys. You can see Cora’s babydoll here, and click here to see Philippa’s stuffed sloth!
Professor Teddy and Lamby
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. When Aliza was little, her habit of carrying her bear with her arm around his neck caused all the neck stuffing to bunch up into his head. Aliza reasoned that smart people probobly had bigger heads, so she named her bear “Professor Teddy.” She picked him out herself as a very small child and he remained close to Aliza’s side through many childhood adventures and even through college. Professor Teddy now keeps Aliza’s bed warm in her old room at her mother’s house. This stuffed lamb, which belongs to Aliza’s younger sister, Zoe, once played “Mary Had a Little Lamb” when wound up, but now only pings out a random note here and there! Lamby was given to Zoe when she was a baby by a long-time family friend and has been her favorite ever since. Aliza commissioned this portrait of their two toys together as a gift for Zoe’s upcoming birthday.
Lammy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I encounter so many adorable stuffed toys in my business that I’m, perhaps, slightly more immune to their charms than the average Joe. But this sheep… I covet this sheep. It’s a Jellycat which has clearly been loved ardently. Heidi tells me that to her daughter Caroline, Lammy is, like the Velveteen Rabbit, “real.” Lammy is subject to all kinds of “hairstyles” concocted by three-year-old Caroline, which mostly involve flower clips being attached all over her fur. Caroline is quite upset that she won’t be able to bring Lammy to preschool on due to her being larger than a back pack (take note parents!) This painting is one of two that Heidi commissioned for her children of their favorite things. The other is a group portrait of a stuffed dog and some classic books!
Blue Dog and Lamb
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. As I head into the final stretch of my busy holiday season, I am listening to lots of stand-up comedy on Youtube to stay sane while painting. And so this little portrait of a stuffed dog and lamb will forever conjure Margaret Cho for me, as she happened to be keeping me company while I made it! This is one of two portraits commissioned by Michelle for her grandchildren. Interestingly, the two kids each have the same sort of floppy blue dog, but Sophia, who is five, also has this fabulous lamb blanket-head. I adore the mixed patterns of the flowered blanket and checked scarf on the lamb!
Bandana Lamb
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Holly’s sister takes photos of each of her two children posed alongside the same favorite toy on a regular basis, and the resulting series of portraits is beyond adorable. As Christmas gifts, Holly commissioned small portraits of the two toys for her niece and nephew. This lamb belongs to one-year-old Elliot, who lives with his sister Maddie, two, and her bunny rattle Miffy in Switzerland.
Rugrat
9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. Mary is giving her two boys, now 21 one and 23, portraits of their favorite childhood toys for Christmas, both of which are stuffed/doll versions of 90’s Nickelodeon characters. This Rugrat Tommy Pickles doll’s sheep costume was taken from another toy by one of the kids and was henceforth his permanent attire. The heart on the front of the wooly outfit is embroidered with the words “I love ewe.” For more Nickelodeon bizarro-cuteness, checkout my other portrait for the guys, which immortalizes their stuffed Catdog.
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Linnie Lamb
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. When fifteen-year-old Sophia was a baby, these lambs were named after Linda, the woman who assisted the family with Sophia’s adoption from China. After years of travel and affection, they are now devoid of their polka-dots, stripes, and, well, their faces! The two toys, which currently look like this: 
were initially intended to be rotated to slow wear-and-tear. In my “research” I have found that, in most cases, a child’s “back-up” lovey eventually becomes absorbed into daily use along with the primary toy. Such is the case with Linnie the Lamb and her twin, ultimately known as “Magic Marker Linnie” and “Other Linnie.” In this portrait, Linnie rests upon Sophia’s red fleece blanket, which was also a childhood favorite.
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Piglet and Sheepie
9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. This is the first of two paintings in a multi-generational portrait project involving four toys, each belonging to a different close member of Lynne’s family. Here we see Piglet, who belongs to Lynne’s fifteen-year-old granddaughter Alexandra, and Sheepie, who is the favorite of seven-year-old granddaughter Reilly. Piglet once shared Alexandra’s crib and affections with a stuffed Barney, but proved to have more staying power. As a small child Alexandra fell asleep each night stroking Piglet’s silky tag, which is now threadbare. Lynne suspects that Piglet will be attending college with Alexandra in a few years. In Reilley’s crib, Sheepie’s floppy, bean-baggy appeal also outlasted other stuffed toys. Sheepie’s real name is “Mary,” but Lynne is pretty sure she wouldn’t answer to that.
The second painting in this duo will feature the beloved toys of the girls’ parents, Lynne’s daughter Julie and Julie’s husband David. I absolutly adore the idea of portraits of couple’s toys together – I’ve been lucky enough to do one other , and hope for many more!
Piglet — this belongs to my 15 year old granddaughter Alexandra. We all know and love Piglet, and he’s been with her since her days in the crib. In the very early years he had to share space with Barney, but Piglet had staying power. Alex fell asleep each night stroking Piglet’s silky tag, which is now threadbare of course. When she travels cross country to visit me, Piglet always comes along. I’m sure he’ll be attending college in a few years too.
Sheepie, or “Mary” — Sheepie’s official name is Mary, but no one calls her that. (She probably wouldn’t answer). She is the best friend of my 7 year old granddaughter Reilly, and they were both born in Guam. There were lots of stuffed animals that visited Reilly’s crib and bed as a youngster, but most of them just came and went. Sheepie stayed, and now gets to go on car trips and vacations. She has a floppy beanbag feel, and because of that she is an expert cuddler. She’ll be coming to see me later this month, when Reilly flies out for a visit.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.