8″x10″ acrylic, 2013. I last saw Rayne, the recipient of this portrait, with my own eyes in 1996 when he was a sweet, chubby, tow-headed baby. He’s the son of my college friend Amy, and he’s now ten feet tall and about to enter Cornell University! …. Okay I fainted for a minute, but I’m back. A long-time fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Rayne collects the books and has always identified with the equally blonde Calvin. So it’s only natural that his favorite toy would be a stuffed tiger! Amy’s family has a lovely tradition of giving each other gifts at random occasions throughout the year rather than all at once at Christmas, so this will be given to Rayne perhaps as a symbol of transition from childhood into the world of college and beyond. Congratulations Rayne!
Category: Toy Portraits
Custom portraiture and paintings of Sonja’s toys
Spotted Dog
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Matt’s wife loves art, personalization, and this stuffed dog, so could there be a more appropriate gift for her than a custom portrait of her favorite toy? She has had this dog, known simply as “Dog,” ever since she was a toddler, and it has lived with her in Texas, Chicago, and Washington D.C. While planning the painting, Matt and I pondered a question I encounter quite often in my line of work: Just what color is this toy? Matt figures that it is more light grey than beige, although it might have been beige at one time, and he pointed out Dog’s faded black spots and chocolate brown ears. I always love to paint an incidental pillow, and that bolster behind Dog has a great texture. Matt will give this portrait to his wife as a Christmas gift.
Bumblebee Doll
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. What a treat this project was! Not only did I get to paint an adorable hand-made doll, but I was able to have a “live model” pose in my studio!
Jessica, who lives in British Columbia, sews these beautiful dolls by hand to sell in her etsy shop. Having commissioned two portraits from me earlier this year, she decided to have one painted of a toy of her own design. She was kind enough to send me this wonderful doll as a model, and then wrote to tell me that it was for my daughter Sonja’s to keep! Sonja understands that, normally, toys that come into our house to be painted are not for her and will not be staying for long. She has always been very respectful of this arrangement, even when she deeply covets a toy. She had admired this doll since its arrival and is thrilled to hold it in her arms and have it for her own!
Jessica uses fantastic vintage and Japanese fabrics for her creations, which were a delight to paint. She also sells the fabrics, and currently her shop features cute pet collars made from them. Earlier this year I painted Ernie and Bert Little People for Jessica’s son and a Hot Wheels GTO for her husband.
Screwver and Blue Shobel
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. And now for something completely different! Just like any beloved stuffed toy or blanket, these unlikely loveys were taken to bed, bath, daycare, family trips, and beyond by 11-year-old Sofia! The screwdriver came from a toy workbench when she was two, and the plastic shovel was also chosen as a favorite during her toddler years. The famiy never left home without “Screwver” and “Blue Shobel” throughout Sofia’s childhood. This portrait will be a Christmas gift to Sofia from her mother, Caroline.
Mr. Bear
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. This portrait is traveling all the way to Spain for the 18th birthday of Cristina’s brother Pablo! “Mr. Bear” has been at Pablo’s side since birth, and can still be found perched on his bed whenever Cristina travels from New Jersey to visit her family! Cristina was 13 when Pablo was born, and their grandmother helped her buy a toy to give him at the hospital. She laid this bear in his crib and from then on he slept with it every night. The family moved to the U.S. a few years later, and when Cristina entered college they moved back to Spain. On one of her visits, Cristina noticed the bear on Pablo’s bed and said “I can’t believe you still have that old bear!” To which Pablo replied, “That’s MR. BEAR, Cris.” Cristina tells me that she knew she had to find a “special and strange” way to immortalize Mr. Bear for this momentous birthday. “Special and strange” — that’s a perfect way to describe a custom toy portrait!
Jolene’s Little People Family Portrait
20″x24″ acrylic, 2012. You read that right — this painting of tiny little toys is quite huge! In fact, their scale is enlarged about 500%, according to my math-inclined husband. I’ve been taking some liberties with colors and style within the general design of the classic Little People to more closely represent the members of the family members in these custom vintage Fisher-Price family portraits . In this case, Jolene, who found me on Etsy, has been given a brownish head of hair that (as far as I can find) was not actually made in combination with a red dress. Jolene is planning her nursery decor for her baby twin girls, who will be born in December. Initially, she wanted to order a large print of my classic Little People trio painting, but loved the idea of having a piece specifically representing her family (and their dog, Rex!) I absolutely love the tension in scale of this painting — I never would have thought to paint such small figures so large, and the effect is amazing! Great idea, Jolene!
Genie (Day and Night Dolly Version 2)
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. This one might look familiar! I originally painted this reversible blanket-head toy in 2010 — it was known as “Day and Night Dolly” to little Dylan, as it is sprinkled with crecent moons on its blue side and a bright sun motif on its yellow side. A new portrait of the toy was commissioned by Robert for his twin granddaughters. They each sleep with this same doll, which they call “Genie.” He wasn’t able to sneak photos of the girls’ actual toys, so he asked me to make a new painting from my original source photos for the Day and Night Dolly portrait. It was fun to revisit this sweet-faced, whimsical doll, and an interesting excercise as an artist! The portrait will be a Christmas gift for Robert’s granddaughters.
Baby Nathan
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Don’t be fooled by the color of his clothes — this sweet doll has been known as “Baby Nathan” ever since 6-year-old Anna recieved him as a Christmas gift when she was one. She named him after her big brother Nathan, and to this day finds it perfectly natural that the doll retains his gender and moniker along with the pink pj’s. Anna asked her mother for a portrait of her beloved doll after Nathan recieved a painting of his favorite stuffed bunny last year!
Star Wars Tub Toys, Two Boys
9″x12″ acrylic, 2012. Check out the expression on two-year-old Carter’s face! Those Star Wars squeeze toys are his, a birthday gift from his mother’s best friend, but it seems that big brother Grant has taken them over. Even though Grant, five, has never seen the movies, he loves to act out elaborate scenes with these rather infantalized versions of the classic Star Wars characters. Whatever — Carter will just be hanging out over here with Elmo. The boys love bath time, and their mother Laura commissioned this painting (which she calls “Toy Envy”) to hang in the family’s bathroom. The Star Wars tub toys were made by Disney.
Tabby Boo
8″x10″ acrylic on canvas, 2012. This classic Vermont Teddy Bear sat virtually unnoticed on baby Kaelen’s bed when it was given to him by his grandmother for his first Christmas. But when he fell in love with the book “Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” a few months later, Kaelen became fascinated by the illustrations of teddy bears inside. He repeatedly asked what they were called, and when his parents would say “teddy bear,” he would not repeat the words, but thoughtfully file them away. One morning when Kaelen’s mother Kelly came into his room, he held up the bear and exclaimed “Tabby Boo!” Kaelen and Tabby Boo have been inseparable ever since. Kelly tells me that Kaelen is sure that he is saying “Teddy Bear” and looks at his parents like they are crazy when they call the bear “Tabby Boo!”