5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Linda’s son is twenty-nine and is buying a house. This is his favorite old bear, and Linda thought that a portrait of him would make a cool housewarming gift. I made sure to include the tag, which was his favorite part.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Brendan’s girlfriend has had “Gundy” for more than twenty years, and it’s very charming that he wanted to give this little portrait to her as a Christmas gift. I agree with Brendan that the shirt, which was designed by a friend as a way to hold the tattered neck together, adds significant character. He felt that Gundy’s portrait should show him as he looks most of the time –propped against her light blue pillow, shirt rolled up and stomach hanging out! (Gundy, not Brendan, of course. As far as I know.)
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Oh wow — you just have to see what I was working with here. The source photo was lying on our dining room table and my husband came across it. He literally screamed: “What HAPPENED to this toy?! It looks like someone shot its face off!” But of course, this moose’s Cthulu-esque face has been LOVED off, and he’s actually looking pretty content reclining there against a pillow. 
Lisa, whose daughter has always called her moose “Lucy Bear,” also supplied me with a “before” photo. I hoped to paint something that shows a bit of his current, loved state, but also restores some of his moose-ish dignity.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. I love this: The two rabbits, each named Francis, function as a unit known as the “Franci.” The flat blanket animal of ambiguous species (giraffe?) has always been referred to simple as “Nose.” Megan, who will give this painting to her nephew Carter, says that there was originally only one Francis. Carter’s mother bought the second bunny as backup, and Carter found it by mistake. From that point on the Franci have been equally loved.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
9″x12″ acrylic, 2010. As Tanzi was covertly planning to take photos of her daughter’s beloved “Puppy” for me to use for this portrait, Something pretty great occured to her. The toy was constantly in transition between her daughter’s parents’ separate houses, which not only complicated the photo shoot but often caused Puppy to be left at one place or the other. Tanzi suggested to me that a portrait of a toy might be a comfort to children of single parents in these situations, evoking its presence even when a child is without her favorite for the night. Great idea!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. This incarnation of the ubiquitous blanket-with-a-head stuffed toy is extra fabulous: It’s reversible, having both a sunny, wide-eyed “day” side as well as this blue side, sprinkled with crecent moons. Dylan, 2 1/2, lately prefers the “night” side. He can nearly always be found with “Dolly” tucked under his arm — on the soccer field, on a playground slide, in a grocery cart, and, of course, in bed. Dylan’s mother Joy tells me that Dolly was originally a gift for her first child, but Dylan, her fourth, was the one who truly came to love it. For this portrait, I was sure to include Dolly’s satin skirt, which is Dylan’s favorite part.
9″x12″ acrylic, 2010. These are the battered and beloved childhood toys of Donna’s husband Andrew. She commissioned this portrait for his upcoming birthday. Donna notes that in most photos of Andrew as a child, these two are close by. She says that whenever he sees them even today, he remembers the warmth and safety of his childhood. I hope that this painting will have the same effect!
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. This is definitely the season of the floppy white bunny around here — I seem to always be working on several at a time! Cindy will give this portrait of Bunny to her almost-six-year-old son on his upcoming birthday, but she covertly showed it to his two-year-old brother when it arrived. I was thrilled to hear that upon seeing it he immediately cried, “BUNNY!!!”
5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. This Precious Moments doll/blanket combo was once much pinker and puffier, and it is perhaps now a bit grayer and more frayed than you see here in this tiny painting. I was sent “before and after” photos, and after some discussion of strategy, it was decided that the portrait would be of the Dolly in her current loved state but with a bit of the blush restored. This portrait was commissioned by Tina as a gift for her daughter Clare for Christmas!
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. The Boston Red Sox patch on Bo-Bo’s face hides a scar, but also differentiates him from his “twin,” an identical bear also called Bo-Bo. Both bears are loved equally by Ben, who accidentally burned this Bo-Bo’s face on a lightbulb! The second Bo-Bo was purchased in case of his getting lost, and soon enough the first Bo-Bo did go missing. He was found six months later hidden amongst other stuffed animals at the local Marshall’s! You can read much more about these bears at Ben’s mother Jill’s fabulous blog, where she is also currently hosting a Custom Toy Portrait giveaway!