8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. We bought three of these little guys in different colors from the gift shop at the wonderful Saratoga Children’s Museum. Sonja barely had to point at them and I was already gathering them up, saying, “of course we’re getting these!” I actually don’t often encounter toys that I’m moved to buy, but when I do, there is no hesitation. Rarely one to use a toy for its intended purpose, today Sonja stuffed this poor finger-puppet full to bursting with “noise putty.” Fun! And gross!
Tag: green
Shaggy and Woofy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. This is a clever sort of portrait of a married couple, represented here by their favorite childhood toys! Susan commissioned this painting as a baby shower gift for her daughter, Kim, and Kim’s husband C.J., who are expecting in May. Shaggy is Kim’s beloved bear, and Woofy, who is a Gund Snuffles bear endearingly interpreted to be a dog, belongs to C.J. You can see other examples of group family toy portraits here, here, and here. Susan also had me paint a vintage Snoopy blanket-head last year for her son, who is now also expecting a baby!
Ian’s Owl
5″x7″ acrylic, 2012. As soon my dear friends Jon and Brian began the process of adopting a baby, their friend Mary rushed out immediately and bought this owl. Since that point, a couple of years fraught with anticipation and frustration culminated in the very recent addition of baby Ian to their family. Jon and Brian made sure that this owl, which is certainly symbolic of the support and will of their loved ones, was tucked in next to Ian as soon as he safely home. While visiting the adorable baby, I was able to take my own photos of the little toy, and I can tell you that it is incredibly soft and has a sort of comical presence. It’s made by an offshoot of Tomy called My Natural. If I had a chance, I might advise the company the their little sewn logo by the owl’s foot looked alarmingly like an angry alien face to me before I found out that it was a stem-and-leaf motif!
Lily-Mae
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all in the way of the blanket-head, that clever amalgam of stuffed animal and flatness… but this froggy blanket is new to me. I love her polka-dots, her bow, and the sweet expression on her face. Stephanie ordered this little painting as a Christmas gift for her daughter Lily, whose Nana purchased this frog because she couldn’t resist its name: “Lily-Mae.” It did turn out to be a fateful match, because Lily adored it from the age of about 4 months. There are several back-up Lily-Maes, but SO FAR Lily is not interested in them (we’ll see how long that lasts!). For Lily’s first birthday, Stephanie created a Lily-Mae the Frog themed party. As a little baby, Lily insisted on falling asleep with the frog’s blanket over her face, much to the terror of her mother. Even now at 20 months, Lilly sleeps with it tucked firmly under her arm all night. Lily-Mae is no longer allowed out of the house, after a couple of scary times when she was lost. Stephanie tells me that, upon seeing this portrait on Christmas morning, Lily kissed it and said “Awww!” This was one of a handful of local holiday orders that I had this year… There was a wonderful afternoon just before Christmas in which Stephanie and several others all came to pick up their portraits, and their excitement made me feel a bit like Santa Claus!
Toy Story Alien
9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. My customers are so much fun! The “models” for all three of Mary’s orders were sent without any setup, save for a few cryptic hints or instructions. The arrival of the first two illicited much excitement in this household, to say the least! The CatDog and Rugrat portraits were to be gifts for Mary’s grown sons, but one of the boys happened to stumble upon the paintings in Mary’s room. He advised her that the Rugrat portrait, which was intended for his brother, did not actually depict his true childhood favorite. So, deciding to keep the Rugrat painting for herself, Mary packed up another “suprise” model for me, emailing me only that he had three eyes! This stuffed Toy Story “Little Green Man” is actually extremely hefty. He’s about 12 inches tall and has hard plastic head and hands. Mary asked me to be sure to include his dimples, as they are a shared trait with the boy who loves this toy!
Olivia’s Bunny
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Well, I’m pretty sure that this is the fuzziest bunny I have ever painted! I got lost in it’s pink fur for hours and hours, and enjoyed almost every minute of it. The bunny and the nubby blanket beneath it belong to Olivia, who turns one in October. Olivia has kept both objects close to her day and night ever since she was born. She especially loves to rub the bunny’s ear on her face as she falls asleep, to chew on its feet and arm, and to play with the all-important tag. This portrait will be a birthday gift for Olivia from her parents.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Breckin’s Giraffe
5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Last year, my neighbor Colleen found me via a local Etsy search and had me paint her daughter Emilia’s pink bunny blanket-head. It was close to Christmas when I delivered the portrait, and I felt like Santa Claus pulling my daughter and Colleen’s package around town on a sled! She told me then that whenever her baby boy came to attach to a particular toy, she would commission a portrait of his favorite too. As it turns out, Breckin also chose a blanket-head as his favorite, this time a sleepy, funny-faced giraffe. Just as Emilia’s bunny did in her portrait, the giraffe blanket reclines on another special blanket, which is amusingly “meta” to me. I’m also honored to have painted Colleen’s beloved (real) cat, which I will post tomorrow!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Monster
11″x14″ acrylic, 2011. When she was a newborn, Three-year-old Nadia’s grandmother bought her this furry, stuffed frog. Unsure of it’s intended species, Grandma simply referred to it as “the green monster.” His name evolved into “Wally the Green Monster,” but he came to be called simply “Monster” by Nadia as she grew increasingly attached to him. While he does not actually attend preschool with Nadia, he does ride with her in the car and come along to pick her up at the end of the day. Nadia brings Monster to her new baby brother to comfort him when he cries. This is the second of Nadia’s toys that I’ve painted — you can see her spotted blanket/dog Freckles here!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.