18″x24″ acrylic, 2013. Oh boy, was this ever fun! It’s a rare treat when I am given wide artistic license and a unique, clever project! Stephanie’s children, Louden and Meta, absolutely love Blabla toys. When she decided to commission a large artwork as the focal-point for their playroom, she envisioned her kids’ favorite toys marching in a circus parade reminiscent of the wallpaper motif pictured below…
Stephanie also sent the (above) photo of the children’s most beloved Blabla characters, and asked that I include at least five figures in the parade. She asked me to use a script-style similar to the one seen in the wallpaper for the words “Louden and Meta’s playroom,” which I painted in a similar deep red. Blabla dolls come in a wide range of sizes, so I felt free to play with the scale of the toys in within the parade scene… in fact, the giraffe in the center is actually taken from a mobile of very tiny animals! As I pack the painting up to ship off to Stephanie’s family, I’m tempted to use circus peanuts rather than Syrofoam…
Tag: elephant
Osh the Elephant
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. On their travels from Chicago to their Vermont vacation destination, Osh and his family were kind enough to stop into my studio so that we could all meet face-to-face! I was able to photograph the absolutely beloved Osh, a Ty beanie toy, while eight-year-old Mia stood protectively by. Despite Mia’s parents’ reservations regarding Osh’s recently acquired green shirt (reading “Adler Planetarium,”) but Mia felt very strongly that it should be immortalized along with the elephant in her portrait. Osh, who Mia tells me is a girl, was a Christmas gift to Mia when she was one month old from her aunt. As I worked on the painting this week I found myself veering into a rather old-school Richard Scarry sort of color palette, perhaps because Osh reminds me of the whimsical toys that Scarry painted for his little animal children characters…
And here is a photo of Mia and Osh at our house after his photo shoot. I wish I could meet more of my “models” in “person!” 
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Ella and Bunny
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. I’m absolutely honored to have now made paintings as for all three of Susan’s children as gifts celebrating the births of their babies! For Susan’s first son, there was this vintage Snoopy blanket-head, followed by these two toys belonging to Susan’s daughter and her husband. And here we have another symbolic marriage portrait of another son and his wife’s beloved toys as they await the July birth of their child. “Ella” the elephant and Susan’s son were truly bonded when the toy brought him comfort through surgery on his bladder at the age of five. Although Ella remained by his side throughout childhood, Susan notes that he did leave her behind when he entered the Marine Corps! This wonderful stuffed bunny was Susan’s daughter-in-law’s very favorite bedtime toy as a child. Susan’s house is sure to be filled with excitement, drama, and laughter for the forseeable future — congratulations to her growing family!
Bryn’s Elephant
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I was beyond excited when Bethenny Frankel’s very nice assistant contacted me! Bethenny, the hilarious entrepreneur and former Real Housewife of New York City, asked me to paint her daughter Bryn’s pink stuffed elephant. As far as I can tell from the Bravo show “Bethenny Ever After,” adorable one-year-old Bryn has an enviably placid and easygoing demeanor. And it’s a good thing, because she has one busy mama! I hope that this portrait of a beloved toy in a sunlit chair adds to the atmosphere of calm in Bryn’s nursery.
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Lion, George, and Elephant
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Allisyn’s son Oliver has several VIP toys, three of which are honored in this portrait. This is one of two portraits which will be gifts for Oliver’s upcoming first birthday. I was thrilled to paint my first Curious George! All three of the toys in this painting keep Oliver company in his crib each night, and he has extended conversations with George every morning. In addition to the two paintings for her son, Allisyn also ordered a painting earlier this year for of her friend’s baby’s knit, stuffed monster.
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More info about prints here.
Oliver’s Elephant
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Oliver has many close friends, but this elephant blanket is his main squeeze. It’s so special that it warrants its own separate portrait, while the rest of Oliver’s adorable cribmates share another canvas entirely. Oliver’s mother Allisyn commissioned both portraits for his upcoming first birthday. Working on this piece reminded me so much of the portrait I made of Heather Armstrong’s daughter’s lovey, which was another sweet elephant blanket-head personalized with the child’s embroidered name.
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Mason’s Ellie
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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Dooced
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Oh my goodness… I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be able to completely change someone’s world by typing a few words! I’m so grateful to Heather Armstrong for posting about this painting. This blanket belongs to her younger daughter Marlo, and when I saw this terrific photo of it I knew I had to paint it. I don’t know how long it will last, but I just love the steady stream of loyal Dooce readers who are contacting me with their wonderful stories and photos!
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More info about prints here.
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.
Ellie
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!