8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. I’m absolutely honored to have now made paintings as for all three of Susan’s children as gifts celebrating the births of their babies! For Susan’s first son, there was this vintage Snoopy blanket-head, followed by these two toys belonging to Susan’s daughter and her husband. And here we have another symbolic marriage portrait of another son and his wife’s beloved toys as they await the July birth of their child. “Ella” the elephant and Susan’s son were truly bonded when the toy brought him comfort through surgery on his bladder at the age of five. Although Ella remained by his side throughout childhood, Susan notes that he did leave her behind when he entered the Marine Corps! This wonderful stuffed bunny was Susan’s daughter-in-law’s very favorite bedtime toy as a child. Susan’s house is sure to be filled with excitement, drama, and laughter for the forseeable future — congratulations to her growing family!
Author: Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait
Grasshopper Pull-toy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Barbara’s late father, Joe, who made this fabulous pull-along grasshopper, merged his love of children and of beautiful, well-made objects in his craft. For part of his life he restored antique furniture for a living, and ultimately began to build his own wooden toys. Joe’s wife made denim quilts, and together they traveled the craft show circuit in New Mexico and Texas. The first of Joe’s many hand-made gifts to his grandchildren was a rattle carved from a single piece of wood! Barbara’s family cherishes the many toys that Joe lovingly made for them throughout the years, and they keep a stash aside for his great-grandchildren.
Old and New Bunnies
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012.
Two generations, two beloved bunny blanket-heads! When Chelsea was little, there were several toys which earned the moniker “Lovie,” but this flat, funny-faced bunny was the last and best. She has had him since the age of three and he now resides safely in a cabinet next to the shoes Chelsea wore at her wedding. Her husband sometimes teases her about it, but she is quick to point out the Lovie has been around a lot longer than he has! When their son Bix was born, a family friend gave him a bunny blanket of his own in honor of Chelsea’s own cherished toy. Bix adores his bunny too, and so Chelsea thought it only natural that the two toys be immortalized side-by-side in a portrait! The blanket-head phenomenon seems to be fairly recent (and ubiquitous!), so I’m always excited to see a “vintage” blanket animal. (Here’s another one!) Chelsea won this custom painting in a giveaway kindly hosted by Mamatoga this spring.
Jellycat Bunny and Bear
9″x12″ acrylic, 2012. This bunny and bear belong to three-year-old Lily and Zoe respectively, and the toys were carefully posed by their mother Andrea to reflect the girls’ loving relationship. Lily and Zoe are identical twins, but have very distinct personalities… to their parents they look as different from each other as these two toys. Zoe is just slightly smaller, and Lily as very protective of her sister. This portrait is also another testament to the uncanny appeal of Jellycat toys, as I have painted this same style of white bunny many times! Andrea tells me that she let her girls choose this bear and bunny from the Jellycat website when they were very small, and they wandered around kissing crumpled paper print-outs of the toys while waiting for them to arrive!
Ezra’s Black Bear
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. As I was painting this floppy guy, it occured to me that it’s sort of odd that the North American black bear is fairly under-represented in the world of stuffed toys. This one seems to be referencing his species’ plight, reclining in a rather fur-rug-before-the-fire pose. When Vicky suggested the idea of having his toy immortalized in a painting to her eight-year-old grandson Ezra, he was very excited about it! Ezra has loved this bear ever since he was a toddler and still sleeps with him every night. The portrait will be a gift from Vicky to Ezra on his upcoming birthday.
Cookie Monster
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. I’m thrilled and honored to have been entrusted with two full boxes of Barbara’s family treasures to paint! Most are beautiful wooden pull-toys hand made by her late father, but among them was nestled this well-worn stuffed Cookie Monster, which belongs to her grown son Benjamin. Barbara tells me that Benjamin, the oldest of five children, was obsessed with Cookie Monster and carried this toy with him everywhere — into sandboxes, riding on Big Wheels, and, of course, to bed. He has even survived being completely drenced in grape juice. So beloved is the toy that, when he left for college, Benjamin took along a stand-in Cookie Monster for fear of losing the original!
JoJo
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Thank goodness that I sometimes remember to bring business cards to the playground! While at our local park with Sonja last fall, we met Juliette and her very sweet five-year-old daughter Jenna. Jenna was very kind and big-sisterly to my little-er one, and Julliette and I had a nice chat. And then this spring, just before embarking upon a huge move to Pennsylvania, Julliette commissioned this portrait for Jenna’s upcoming July birthday. Jenna’s floppy pup JoJo has been by her side since babyhood. He’s been lost a couple of times and had several stitches and re-stuffings. He’s even made a few appearances at Jenna’s kindergarten this year! I’m sure JoJo has been a great source of comfort during the family’s move… best of luck to Juliette and Jenna in their new home!
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.
Spike, Kitty, Blue Bunny
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. In this “symbolic” family portrait, the family members are represented by their favorite stuffed toys. This is one of two portraits commissioned by Paul for his wife Kathleen as gifts for Mother’s Day and her upcoming birthday, although Paul ended up growing impatient and gave her both on Mother’s Day! The droopy, laconic Spike has always been Kathleen’s favorite Peanuts character, and she’s had this stuffed toy since she was ten years old. Paul’s blue rabbit was a given to him on his first Easter. This stuffed cat only recently emerged as three-year-old Asa’s favorite, and Paul reckons that it’s because he resembles their own cat “New Kitty” (who retains his title beyond his actual newness!) I have the pleasure of knowing this family personally, and I can tell you that these toys strike me as amusingly accurate and appropriate stand-ins! Check back tomorrow for my portrait of adorable, red-headed, train-obsessed Asa.
Little People Portrait: Dominic’s Family
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Here’s another “symbolic” family portrait as vintage Fisher-Price Little People! This one was commissioned by Dominic as a Mother’s Day present for his wife Cassandra. In order to represent the couple and their little son Isaac with some accuracy, I took artistic liberties with the classic Little People designs. Dominic requested that I invent a beard for him, so I lifted the detailing from a Fisher-Price Sesame Street Gordon doll and then embellished the facial hair. Dominic typically wears a hat, so I took one from what I think is a Little People mailman and put it atop the classic, green-bodied dad figure. The only female African American Little Person was Susan, whose hairstyle was less representative of Cassandra’s than the standard-issue mother doll’s ponytail, so I changed the coloring and made use of that form. Luckily, a small boy figure that well represents Isaac actually existed. Dominic tells me that they might have an updated portrait made in a couple of years, as the family is expecting a baby girl this August!