8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. This is a clever sort of portrait of a married couple, represented here by their favorite childhood toys! Susan commissioned this painting as a baby shower gift for her daughter, Kim, and Kim’s husband C.J., who are expecting in May. Shaggy is Kim’s beloved bear, and Woofy, who is a Gund Snuffles bear endearingly interpreted to be a dog, belongs to C.J. You can see other examples of group family toy portraits here, here, and here. Susan also had me paint a vintage Snoopy blanket-head last year for her son, who is now also expecting a baby!
Category: Custom Portraits
Hiyu (Pet Portrait)
9″x12″ acylic, 2012. What a lovely change of scenery! It’s novel and thrilling for me to have the opportunity to paint a beloved pet, and wonderful to see such intelligence and personality gazing back at me. This portrait of Hiyu, who passed two years ago, was commissioned by Heidi as a gift for Hiyu’s owners, Heidi’s dear friends. Heidi tells me that Hiyu was an incredibly sweet, 60 pound lap dog who acted like a puppy to the very end! I had the pleasure of commemorating Heidi’s own pet dog Murphy last year, and her daughter’s adorable stuffed hippo in 2009.
Oscar’s Bass
9″x12″ acrylic, 2012. When he was very small, ten-year-old Oscar fell in love with fishing at his Uncle Howie’s own well-stocked pond. Oscar’s mother Katya tells me that the fish were so plentiful that they practically jumped on the hook, and that thrilling experience guaranteed that Oscar was hooked as well! This fish is a large mouth bass that Oscar caught at the pond about four years ago. This is the first in a series of paintings Katya is having done of Oscar’s very favorite catches. Oscar was also the recipient of my Lego Bobafett portrait!
Bitty Baby
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Twelve-year-old Emma, an avid ballerina, loves her three American Girl dolls. But ever since age two, Bitty Baby has been Emma’s very favorite. Emma will be dancing in the Nutcracker for the sixth time this year, and then, just before Christmas, she will be having some major surgery. Emma’s grandmother Cathy commissioned this portrait as a gift to brighten Emma’s hospital stay. I wish Emma an easy recovery and hope she’ll quickly be back up on her toes!
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Fritters and Fritters The Other One
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Kit, who is almost three, started with just one monkey. It was given to her at birth by her grandmother, and naturally the “back-up” monkey was discovered and absorbed into everyday use. The monkey blanket-heads are known as “Fritters” and “Fritters The Other One,” a fantastic variation on the “Lovey” and “Other Lovey” template for naming twin toys that I often see! The spotted green blanket behind the monkeys is also a beloved favorite. This portrait is one of two commissioned by Kit’s mother Beth for her daughters, so check back soon to see five-year-old Elsie’s giraffes “Tito” and “Tito The Other One!”
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Ceramic Plane
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. My nephew Kevin’s priorities are very clear: Machines that go first, then animals. On his recent second birthday, I sat with him and looked at a picture book which contained an assortment of both. He excitedly pointed and named things, one after the other: “Firetruck! Helicopter! Diesel engine! Motorboat!” “And what are these?” I asked, indicating a flock of sheep. “PIGGIES!” shrieked Kevin. This ceramic airplane adorns Kevin’s bedroom and represents his current favorite vehicle.
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August’s Bunny
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. 16-month-old August was given many stuffed toys when he was born, but this Jellycat bunny quickly emerged as his very favorite. He carries it everywhere, chews on its ears, and sleeps with his face buried in its fur. The bunny usually smells terrible as it can only be pried from August’s arms for washing when he is fast asleep! This is the second of two portraits commissioned by August’s mother Cassandra for her sons. Click here to see big brother Elijah’s stuffed monkey, and here to see another Jellycat bunny portrait I painted a few months ago.
bunny – this is my son, august’s sleeping buddy. august is only 16 months old and he buries his face in the bunny and chews on his ears. august carries the bunny absolutely everywhere! lots of people gave augie stuffed animals when he was born. his room is full of them, but for whatever reason, he became attached to this little bunny and he sleeps with him each night. the bunny actually smells terrible from spit up, food spills and other random catastrophes, but i can only wash him after august falls asleep and if i feel confident enough to pry the little bunny out of his hands without waking him 🙂
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Monk
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Elijah’s clever mother Cassandra has embued his sock monkey with a sense of mystery and intrigue. During nap time, she would tell him, “Monk” would play on his own, and she even provided strategically posed photos with puzzles and toys as proof! Monk has survived being dragged to preschool and the dog’s overly-affectionate snuggling. Now that Elijah is five, he only calls for Monk occasionally when he’s sick or a bit sad, but he continues to be a beloved part of the family. Toys who seem to lead independent, adventurous lives are so endearing… click here for the story of a world traveling potato head!
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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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Roland, Take 2
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. *Sigh* So, you may have noticed that I have already painted this guy, who is the distinguished CEO of I Only Like Monsters. Over a month ago I mailed the original portrait to J, who writes the hilarious posts for Roland’s website, and just heard yesterday that it had not yet arrived. So after J and I jostled the USPS from both ends, I franticly re-painted the portrait and had my husband frame it, all in one afternoon. This morning I recieved word that the first portrait suddenly showed up on J’s doorstep! I must say that it was actually lots of fun to revisit Roland’s funny face and I enjoyed painting him again.
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