11″x14″ acrylic, 2012. What fun I’ve had painting all these clever wooden hand-made toys! You may have seen my individual portraits of this bear, duck, and grasshopper earlier this summer, and this group portrait brings in a fourth toy. The rabbit is overturned to reveal the signature of Pops, Barbara’s talented and generous late father. “Pops” made beautiful toys for several generations of his family, and Barbara commissioned this quartet of portraits to honor him and his lovely work.
Tag: duck
Wooden Duck Pull-Toy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. The further down I dig in the box of priceless goodies I recieved from Barbara, the better it gets! Barbara has entrusted me to paint several wooden pull-toys that were hand-made by her late father for several generations of children. This duck is as much a joy to hold as it is to pull along — perfectly smooth, heavy, beautifully shaped, perfectly finished! The egg sits loosely between the wheels and rolls end over end as they turn, which absolutely amazed my daughter (and me.) Click here to read more about Barbara’s talented father and to see his fabulous wooden grasshopper pull-toy!
Little Fatty Face
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. In the delicious (but always a bit worrisome) lull which follows my anual holiday portrait blitz, I’m just painting what I like between my smattering of commissions. And I do like this duck! He’s one of a zillion that Sonja has managed to collect over the course of her four years, and, to me, he’s the best one. I absolutely adore how his double chin wraps around and connects to his back-of-the-neck fat. Hence his name: Little Fatty Face, which was originally my pet name for baby Sonja until I realized that it might scar her for life! But this duck has a flaw which he shares with about 90% of rubber ducks on the market, it seems: He floats on his side. What’s up, rubber duckie designers? Is form is more important that function? Well, I did choose to paint this one over other more upright, less adorable specimens…
Reclining Ducky
9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. Whenever one-year-old Sydney sees her favorite stuffed duck, she smiles and presses her forehead against its head in a gesture uniquely her own. Sydney’s doting uncle Nate tells me that it is not something she learned from anyone around her — it is a spontaneous, specific greeting just between Sydney and Ducky! Nate tells me that this languid pose (which he amusingly described as “Odalisque”) is most expressive of the duck’s general floppy demeanor. This portrait will be a Christmas gift for Sydney from Uncle Nate.
Jane’s Ducky
5″x7″acrylic, 2010. Jane, who will turn three in January, LOVES ducks. In fact, she loves anything yellow just by association. She was a duck for Halloween this year (really a chick costume, but close enough!) She was given this duck/blanket when she was four months old and the two have since been inseparable. The portrait will be a gift for Jane’s third birthday from her mother, Virginia. My Sonja, also almost three, currently collects rubber duckies of all sorts in a tattered paper gift bag, and she enjoyed watching this painting take shape in my studio! See a gallery of my other blanket-related portraits here.
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Duckie
9″x12″ acrylic, 2010. Emma is away at camp, but when she returns this week, this painting will be hanging in her room as a suprise from her parents! Emma’s mother Jennifer commissioned this portrait of “Duckie,” who I suspect might actually be a pelican… he’s a little ambiguous, but I love how kids see what they want to see in their toys! Below is a watercolor study I did from another of the many great photos Jennifer sent. I tucked it into the package as well — I intend to send any studies I make along with the main paintings from now on as a little bonus!
Bunny, Bunny, Quack Quack, and Mr. Elephant
11″x14″ acrylic, 2010. Sharon has 3 children with four favorite toys between them. There are two “Bunnies,” the largest belonging to five-year-old Luke. The second “Bunny” and “Quack Quack” are three-year-old Lilah’s blanket animals. “Mr. Elephant” belongs to 8-month-old Daniel. Sharon commissioned this portrait of the entire group to hang in her own bedroom! I love this idea — it’s like a sort of symbolic, metaphorical portrait of her children.
Dottie
8″x10″ acrylic, 2009. Ahh, another filet-o-stuffed animal blanket! I am beginning to feel like a neglectful parent since my own child does not have one of these things… they clearly inspire passionate devotion in those lucky children who possess them. Here is Dottie, a cute duck/blanket belonging to Avery, draped luxuriously over a cushion. See portraits of other blanket/animals here, here, and here.
Dog and Duck Blankies
8″x10″ acrylic on canvas, 2009. Lily’s very clever mom had back-ups of these two, so she was able to send me the actual stuffed animals to paint from! It was a challenging project for a couple of reasons. First, these are tiny stuffed heads attached to what are essentially fileted flying squirrel. Continue reading “Dog and Duck Blankies”
