12″x12″ acrylic, 2010. Many times when people send me photos of a stuffed animal, they send images of the “real” toy and also the “backup” toy — meaning, of course, the one in current circulation that is missing facial features, is dingy and worn and beloved, and the identical one that was purchased to replace it when it is lost or just completely dissolves. Such was the case with Lambie, who belongs to Holly’s 9-year-old daughter. It was absolutely striking to see the difference between Lambie and her unused counterpart. The real Lambie’s face has taken on an uncanny, soulful, human-like expression, while the backup Lambie is simply very cute. I suspect that if I worked from the photos of the backup toy, Holly’s little girl would not have recognized her!