5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. A tiny portrait commissioned by Kara for her nephew Nici — Ellie T. Smith was bought by his grandmother at a Carter’s outlet when Nici was one, and is being immortalized in paint because she is already showing a lifetime of wear after only two years. Nici’s mother suggests that Ellie may embody some yin to the yang in Nici’s personality: she notes that one of her favorite photos of her is of Nici and his friend wearing baseball hats, and Nici is carrying Ellie. “I think she represents his sensitive side,” she writes. Kara made the poignant observation that, as Nici grows older and she looks back on his childhood, she will always think of Ellie. I love that this portrait has significance for the grownups too!
Tag: acrylic
Iuppa
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. You may assume, because this is a painting of a stuffed dolphin, that those round things along side of it are supposed to be bubbles. But in fact they are pearl onions! Elizabeth, who commissioned this portrait for her husband, suggested that I work an onion or two into the picture. Her husband has had Iuppa the Dolphin since childhood, and when he was small he was really into pearl onions. One day when he was little, he told his parents that Iuppa was very upset. When they asked him what would make the dolphin feel better, he said, “Give him an onion!” I don’t think that would work for me, but what I guess there is a lot I don’t know about wildlife.
Pink Bunny
5″x7″ acrylic, 2009. When he commissioned this little painting as a gift for his girlfriend, Ben requested that in the portrait this bunny be restored somewhat to it’s former pinkness. She has had this much-loved toy since childhood, and in the photos provided it does indeed appear to be a worn-out white. So hopefully the rosey tinge to the fur in ths painting will bring back some nice memories!
Catherine’s Doll
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. This little doll holds special significance to her family. “Dottie” is a small, soft doll that was given to Catherine by her grandmother shortly before she passed away. Catherine’s aunt, Mary, commissioned this painting as a Christmas gift for Catherine, and also to honor her mother’s last gift to her niece. I was lucky enough to get to get to be present when Catherine first saw the painting, and it was a thrill to see the recognition in her face!
Twinkles and Dusky
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. This portrait of Twinkles the cat and Dusky the golden retriever were commissioned by Darby for her sister Annie. Annie was in on the project, and she shared some nice background info about these two. They have both been with her since childhood and through the lifetimes of several beloved pets, including two golden retrievers. She says that Dusky has been wonderful physical stand-in for her dogs whenever she can’t be with them (at college for example,), and is also an eternal reminder of how adorable they were as puppies. I had the pleasure of their company in my studio while I painted them (rather than photos) as Darby and Annie were kind enough to lend them to me.
Golly
5″x7″ acrylic, 2009. This little painting was covertly commissioned by my husband for his sister for Christmas. Golly, Kris’ childhood bear, now sits overlooking our 3-month-old nephew Kevin’s crib. Amid some extended family chaos, Greg and I abducted Golly and absconded to a bathroom to take pictures for me to work from. And in keeping with family tradition, no one has any explanation for Golly’s exclamatory name.
Bunny Ball
4″x5″ acrylic, 2009. This is a tiny painting of my husband’s childhood stuffed bunny. The bunny was unearthed a couple of months ago at his parents’ house and shown to me with a sense of extreme reverence. When I asked what the story with it was, there was a lot of shrugging and looking at one another. “It’s a bunny, and it’s a…ball,” the family finally agreed. I love that there really isn’t any more say about it than what is evident in its serious wear and tear.
Happy Hippo
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. Hippos hold a significant place in our own family lore, so I was thrilled to be asked to paint this adorable stuffed hippo just before Christmas! His name is Happy, and he’s been the favorite toy of Zoe, 4, since she was one-and-a-half. I love how simple he is — a perfectly abstracted shape, almost minimalist. I was sent some fantastic photos of Zoe together with a very thread-bare Happy and it is clear how loved and important he is! He would fit right in among my younger sister’s collection. She loved hippos as a little girl, and has long been the victim of her family falling back on this fact when buying birthday or Christmas gifts. As Happy demonstrates, sometimes less is more!
Squishy, Take 2
5″x7″ acrylic, 2009. The original version of this painting is hanging in my current exhibit at Uncommon Grounds in Saratoga Springs, but someone purchased it while I was installing the show. He was kind enough to leave it up for the duration. So when another man phoned me expressing dismay that the painting he wanted to buy was marked “sold,” I told him that I still had the Hello Kitty squeeze toy handy and would be happy to paint another from the same motif. The new painting shipped within two days of his order, and he was able to give his Sanrio-crazy daughter-in-law the perfect gift!
Boo Boo
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. This bunny belongs to Billy, and the portrait was commissioned by his father. “Boo Boo” bunny is ridiculously adorable, but I felt compelled to try to honor the masculine aspect of this father-to-son gift by painting him in a conciously non-cutesy way.