5″x7′ acrylic, 2011. It was impossible to be anything but cheerful while working on this painting, as the fabulous moniker “Sir Puppers” became almost a mantra to me! Sir Puppers belongs to Parker, who will recieve this portrait of his stuffed pal for his upcoming fifth birthday. His mother, Jennifer, wisely chose a small canvas to suit the tiny stuffed dog, and asked that the background be blue, Parker’s favorite color.
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8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Sometimes the roles our most important possessions play evolve with our own needs. Such is the case with these two bears, which belong to 4-year-old Jackson. The smaller bear, Drum-Drum, was originally a gift given to Jackson’s mother when she was pregnant… it was, in fact, intended to depict an expectant mother bear! Maxie, the large Build-a-Bear, was purchased for Maxie by his father, Jon. Eventually, Jackson took ownership of Drum-Drum and declared that it belonged with Maxie. No longer a pregnant adult female bear, Drum-Drum is now the “baby,” and Maxie is his “daddy bear.” Jon tells me that Maxie’s persona and voice are often Jackson’s vehicle for explaining his own feelings. “Maxie has had all your experiences,” Jon says. If you tell Jackson that you’ve been skiing, Jackson might explain the Maxie has also been skiing, and he found it to be a just a little scary, but fun. Now that Jackson’s parents no longer live together, Jon is hoping that this portrait, a gift for his upcoming birthday, will make the bears’ presence felt in Jon’s home even if they have been accidently left at mom’s!
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8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Here’s “Pup,” who belongs to four-year-old Jack. Jack’s mother, Carrie, ordered portraits of each of her son’s favorite toys — you can see Ellie the elephant, who belongs to two-year-old Mason, by clicking here. Like Ellie, Pup poses atop a kitchen island, and his serious posture belies his sweet, cartoony face.
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8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. This interestingly lit elephant belongs to two-year-old Mason, whose mother, Carrie, ordered portraits of each of her two children’s favorite toys. He sits in the kitchen, surrounded by its cool, blue glow. Check in tomorrow for Mason’s brother’s stuffed puppy!
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5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. That’s Marry Kate with two r’s, making it potentially a command and a pun, but I’m sure that was not the intent of Zoe when she named this bear at age four. If it was, then clever girl! Marry Kate, a Ty Beanie Bear (which is larger than a Beanie Baby,) was a gift from Zoe’s grandmother when she had her tonsils out. This portrait will be a gift for Zoe’s upcoming twelfth birthday from her mother, Shannon.
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9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. Although I adore bunnies and bears, this trio of unlikely bird friends was such a delight for me to paint! Puffy, Chicka Chicka, and Chicki Chicki have been the favorite companions of Bharathi’s daughter, who is now ten, since she was six. Bharathi writes, “It’s pretty adorable to see her in her airplane seat with these stuffies tucked under her arms (especially ’cause she’s a mature looking 10 and prone to reading things like “A history of ancient Britain.”) The contrast reminds me that even when she seems really grown up, she’s still a kid.” At one point, a proposed back-up Chicka Chicka was dismissed by her daughter as being “pretty much like suggesting we get a back-up brother.” Well put!
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9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. Stephen wrote me that his wife was looking at my website and “complaining that our kids don’t actually have favorite stuffed animals to paint.” His clever, thoughtful solution to this problem was to order a portrait of his wife’s own beloved chilhood bear as a gift for her upcoming birthday! This well-worn bear is missing an eye, which he strategically and stylishly hides with his pyjama cap.
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5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Wow, I jumped right out of my chair when I saw the photos of this lion! He is identical to my own lion Hubert, right down to his missing black spectacles. This toy is the life-long favorite of Corissa’s husband, and she commissioned this portrait as a gift for him. The lion is quite large, about two feet tall and with a formidable head… he has a strong, sage-like presence. Here’s another painting of my Hubert along with Tigger and my much younger self.
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8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. This portrait was emotionally frought for all involved, but perhaps it may contribute to a family’s healing from the tragic loss of a loved one. This giraffe, who was the favorite toy of a child who has recently passed away, serves as a lovely, symbolic remembrance. The painting is a gift for the child’s mother from her very thoughtful aunt. I truly hope that this portrait will serve as a subtle commemoration of a child’s happiness for the grieving family.
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8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I must say that I’m stunned by this rather “antique” specimen of a blanket-head! I had thought the the blanket-with-a-head phenomenon was fairly recent, but this Snoopy was the childhood companion of a man who is now 30 years old! It’s just barely three-dimensional, its head and hands lying rather flatly against the blanket, so it’s not quite the literal hybrid of fully-formed stuffed animal and blanket that you find today. Susan commissioned this portrait for her son in honor of the upcoming birth of his first child!
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