8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Melinda’s six-year-old son’s white Blabla bunny eventually became so tattered that it was no longer repairable. When it became evident that she wouldn’t be able to find a bunny with the exact same coloration to replace it (not sure that would have worked, Melinda!), a story was concocted about bunny having a cousin who was coming to live with them. In this way, some of the affection (and wear and tear) was diverted onto the stripey new addition to the family!
Tag: knit
Monk
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Elijah’s clever mother Cassandra has embued his sock monkey with a sense of mystery and intrigue. During nap time, she would tell him, “Monk” would play on his own, and she even provided strategically posed photos with puzzles and toys as proof! Monk has survived being dragged to preschool and the dog’s overly-affectionate snuggling. Now that Elijah is five, he only calls for Monk occasionally when he’s sick or a bit sad, but he continues to be a beloved part of the family. Toys who seem to lead independent, adventurous lives are so endearing… click here for the story of a world traveling potato head!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Licorice
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. The most important part of this stuffed Blabla “Licorice” dog is not shown in this portrait. it is, of course, his tag! Like many little children, three-year-old Lucas finds the tag on his favorite toy to be the element most deserving of his attention. My own Sonja was also obsessed with tags, which was such an amusing suprise to me, as I had never heard of this phenomenon! Here she is, obsessing over the “best” part of a little pink bear:
Lucas has had this floppy toy, which he simply calls “Dog,” since he was a tiny baby. His mother, Amy, tells me that he loves to suck his fingers while snuggling with him. This portrait will be a gift for Lucas’ upcoming fourth birthday.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Blue Monster, Green Teether
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. The boy who loves this pair of toys had quite a challenging start to his life! Born at 24 weeks after a pre-eclampsia event, his mother had barely begun to put together his nursery. She had just purchased this Zubel’s hand-knit blue monster the weekend before. After the birth, amidst the avalanche of presents from friends and family, the monster remained the baby’s only special gift from Mama. Now a year old, he is thriving! This portrait will be a gift for the baby’s mother from her friend Allisyn. This green plastic teether is also so well-liked that his mother bought one just like it for Allisyn’s own baby!
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
Blabla Babies
8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Campbell has had her “Blabla Babies” since she was very small, and even now at three and a half, keeps them close at nap and bedtime. These dolls clearly have a wonderful, huggable texture, and I love the little bird and heart motifs woven onto their chests! This painting will be a gift for Campbell from her grandmother, Dotti.
Order a print of this painting:
More info about prints here.
James
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. James is undoubtedly the most media-savy stuffed robot you will ever meet. He presides over Lisa‘s coffee table while she blogs with wit and charm about social media and modern entrepeneurial issues. About 12 inches tall and made from red cable-knit yarn, James scares Lisa’s guests by being so adorable that they can’t even stand it!
Mademoiselle Louise
8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. I LOVE this crazy, knit chicken! It is part of the L’atitude Enfant series of stuffed animals, as are our other knit friends Don Gato and this cow. I bought it at Target for Sonja when I was about two minutes pregnant, having been waiting for an excuse. But Sonja is frustratingly diplomatic with her toys, and seems to select a new one or two each day to dote upon. She is working methodicly through our collection and has yet to show much interest in poor Louise. When Sonja was a newborn I would often waggle the chicken in front of her face, babbling in high-pitched french — maybe Louise has already had her moment in the sun.
Knit Cow
5″x7″ acrylic, 2009. This little painting is of one of the L’attitude Enfant series of adorable yarn animals that we got at Target. It is also another example of a toy that I think is irresistable and that Sonja really couldn’t care less about. We have a whole posse of these things and she barely acknowledges them. Hey, guess what her newest, proudest, loudest word of the week is? ELMO.
Don Gato
Baby Sonja has a special cat!
He is made of yarn and not so fat!
His red and orange and stripey (myow myow myow)
And he rocks a purple sweater (myow myow myow)
and in Spanish he’s “Don Gato!”
This painting arrive wired for hanging and framed simply in pine.
$70 plus $7 shipping
(category: Toy Portrait Series. tags: single portrait, cat, acrylic)