Tag: grown folks

Bubble

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. I’ve been recieving some challenging projects of late, several of which involve painting beloved lost toys. In the case of Bubble, there were only a couple of very old, blurry images and a lovingly detailed desciption for me to work from. Bubble, an all-cotton stuffed doll, belonged to Denise, who lives in Hong Kong. Her mother purchased it for her in Australia before her birth, and Bubble has reclined against the pillows on Denise’s bed all her life. But a couple of months ago Denise’s mother took Bubble to the cleaners and the doll was lost. Devastated, Denise commissioned this portrait to commemorate her long-time friend.

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Housewarming Bear

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Linda’s son is twenty-nine and is buying a house. This is his favorite old bear, and Linda thought that a portrait of him would make a cool housewarming gift. I made sure to include the tag, which was his favorite part.

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Gundy

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Brendan’s girlfriend has had “Gundy” for more than twenty years, and it’s very charming that he wanted to give this little portrait to her as a Christmas gift. I agree with Brendan that the shirt, which was designed by a friend as a way to hold the tattered neck together, adds significant character. He felt that Gundy’s portrait should show him as he looks most of the time –propped against her light blue pillow, shirt rolled up and stomach hanging out! (Gundy, not Brendan, of course. As far as I know.)

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Blue Bear and Yellow Bunny

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

9″x12″ acrylic, 2010. These are the battered and beloved childhood toys of Donna’s husband Andrew. She commissioned this portrait for his upcoming birthday. Donna notes that in most photos of Andrew as a child, these two are close by. She says that whenever he sees them even today, he remembers the warmth and safety of his childhood. I hope that this painting will have the same effect!

Katherine’s Bear

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. The worn patches on this old bear are as important as any of his features, Katherine wrote me when we were discussing this portrait. I’m learning that how the wear and tear on a toy should be handled varies from painting to painting — some people prefer that the toy be “restored” for its portrait, and others treasure the aged, rubbed appearance as a testament to it’s loved-ness. Katherine has been sleeping with this bear for 27 years, it shows, and that’s awesome!

Pookey Bunny

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. There is something so meta about a toy sporting a shirt with a picture of another toy on it! This painting was commissioned by Peter for his wife as a fifth anniversary gift. Pete bought the bear for her when they had been dating for a year, and it has since become, as he very eloquently put it, part of their “shared mythology.” They have a baby on the way, and the painting will hang in their nursery!

Panda

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. This panda portrait was commissioned by very thoughtful friend Angie for Louise’s 40th birthday. And yes, that is a hospital band around his wrist! When Louise’s panda lost an eye and began to come apart at the seams he was sent off to a “teddy bear hospital.” He is surely deserving of such care, as this toy has been a source of comfort to Louise throughout a childhood that was rather frought with illness. As a newly-forty-year-old myself, I was extra pleased to support this commemorative gesture!

Meme

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. Meme is a handmade, 2 and 1/2 foot tall horse that was found by my sister Jill in a thrift shop on an Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin. He now stands guard in Jill’s home office, and she requested this portrait of Meme for her birthday. He’s a bit tattered, so I painted his “good” side — the one with an eye!

Snuffles

Posted on by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. Mamaista was kind enough to host a toy portrait giveaway, and the winner was Casey from the excellent blog www.mooshinindy.com! Snuffles, a classic, Gund bear, is her own childhood toy. His velvet nose is long worn away and he has bald spots behind one ear and on his belly. Although this general type of Gund bear was pretty common when most of us were kids, Casey points out that it’s rare to find one that is dark brown! Casey’s daughter Addie also been given two of these bears, both of a light tan color. I had a white one, myself. Had. Hmmm, where is he?