8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Nothing makes a toy more irresitable than the magic a parent can work to bring it to life! Annabelle, who turns two next month, has loved this kitty ever since her father imbued it with a frisky, mischievous personality. Annabelle’s mother, Jessica, tells me that Kitty is a great comforter and travel companion — he’s been to Cozamel, Key West, Grand Cayman, and Disney World! Annabelle ends each day by snuggling Kitty to her in bed and telling him, “I love you to the moon and back, Kitty.” As I worked on this portrait, it occured to me that this is only the third commission I’ve ever gotten to paint a stuffed cat, our of nearly 300 toy portraits (excluding paintings of our family’s own toy kitties)… isn’t that odd? I have always thought that cat faces just don’t translate well into stuffed toys. There is always some curve or proportion that gets lost and leaves the toy cat looking sort of pinched and unpleasant. The minimalist perfection of Hello Kitty is an exception to this phenomenon, as is, of course, Annabelle’s Kitty.
Tag: flash!
Puppy Family
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. When Melinda’s 8-year-old son was born, he recieved “Puppy,” pictured here second from the left. “Puppy Mommy,” the large one on the far right, arrived for his first Christmas. Puppy Daddy sits next to (and is somewhat alarmingly dwarfed by) Puppy Mommy, and Puppy’s baby brother is at the far left end. The puppy family portrait is one of two paintings commissioned by Melinda for her children — check out her six-year-old’s two knit bunnies here!
Bunny and Rainbow Blanket
5×7 acrylic, 2011. Holy moly, this portrait packed a lot of textural challenges into one tiny painting! Check out this furry white bunny with a soft blue blanket/body trimmed with satin reclining against a crocheted, rainbow-patterned blanket. This is one of two portraits which will be Christmas gifts for Katie’s two small sons, and both feature the winning combination of blanket-heads and blankets!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Pooh Bear
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. I really enjoy an opportunity to paint a new version of a stuffed toy I have encountered in the past. This classic Winnie-the-Pooh blanket-head sports a yellow blanket, and last year I had the pleasure of painting a similar Pooh whose blanket was pink. In this second of two portraits commissioned by Katie for her sons, Pooh rests against a blue blanket which is also a special favorite. This Pooh represents my favorite variation on the blanket-head theme, in that it appears to hold the blanket in its arms rather than having a blanket as a sort of totally limbless body! Adorable side-note: Katie’s son chose this pose for Pooh because it looked most like “her.”
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Maxie and Drum-Drum
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!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
