8″x10″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. When Star Wars meets Lego, it’s just impossibly, deliciously nerdy. While I was painting my Luke and Leia 1970’s action figures a couple of weeks ago, I kept giving these two the side-eye… they belong to my husband Greg, of course, who has all manner of plastic geekery on hand. This will hang next to its action figure counterpart in my current show at Uncommon Grounds . The show is selling well, so I’m busily painting new pieces to re-stock! Click here to see my portrait of a Lego Boba Fett.
Tag: plastic
Donatello, Ninja Turtle
9″x10″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. Another classic toy for an upcoming exhibit… this 1990 Donatello Ninja Turtle features a hinged storage shell for his tiny ninja throwing stars, fish knife, “killer pizza,” and shark-fin hatchet. He also comes equipped with two bos. My husband had several Ninja Turtle toys as a child, but explained to me that some of the turt;es in his collection were been produced with the wrong coloring. He assures me that this guy has all the correct details. Greg has proven to have a bottomless supply of material for me in the way of plastic toys!
Blythe
6″x8″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. This “Tokyo Toddler” Blythe doll belongs to my friend Madeline, who tells me it’s a collecter’s edition which was made in Japan. Blythe dolls were introduced by Kenner in 1972, but due to a lack of interest (or perhaps an aversion to creepiness) on the part of the public, they were discontinued by a year later. In 2001, the Japanese company Takara began producing the dolls again, and today Blythe enjoys a profound popularity among collectors and hobbyists who modify them. I must admit that spooky toys are not my thing, and yet I’m very drawn to toys with huge heads and big, wide-spaced eyes (like Hello Kitty,) so I feel a bit ambivalent about Blythe! I think it’s something about the vaguely sexualized detailing juxtaposed with the babyishness (big head/eyes, the word “Toddler”) that bothers me. Are they just hipster Bratz? There is no denying that some very interesting people find them irresistible.
Leia and Luke
8″x10″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. I have a couple of exhibits to stock this summer, so I’m taking a break from commissions to paint some classic toys. I was seven in 1977, so you know I was IMMERSED in Star Wars mania! I often wore my hair in side-buns and played Pin The Blaster on Luke at my birthday party that year. These Luke and Leia action figures were some of my most-played-with toys in those days. I’ve selectively depicted wear-and-tear in this portrait: Luke’s light saber is shown in it’s broken-off state, but I’ve “photoshopped” my cat’s bite marks off of Leia’s face!
Blaster
8″x10″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. This particular “Blaster” Transformers toy has quite the tale to tell! For the sake of context, I’ll explain that I’ve been a house music dj since 1995, and it was in this realm that I met my husband Greg, another dj. In the heyday of the Albany “rave scene,” there was a fantastic record store (remember those?) on Lark Street called Audio Underground, which was run by our local techno godfather, DJ Dames. AU was the heart of the circle of creative and interesting people who were involved in the music at the time… everyone gathered there to enjoy each other’s company, talk shop, and fight for tracks when a new shipment came in! A glass case at the counter held all our mixtapes for sale, and Greg contributed his vintage boom-box Blaster Transformer to the display. In April of 2001, a fire struck the building which housed the store. Most everything in it was destroyed and it marked the end of an era. Years later, a friend who’d had a hand in sifting through the wreckage returned the sooty, scuffed toy to Greg — it had survived! Here’s a (terrible photo of a) huge painting I made in 1997 which includes many local djs and scenesters, and perhaps conveys the Audio Underground vibe that meant so much to us. 
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Ernie and Bert Little People
5″x7″ acrylic, 2012. You really can’t pack any more vintage, classic goodness into a toy than you will find in a Fisher-Price Little People Sesame Street figure! This painting of the Ernie and Bert Little People is for 22-month-old Andy, whose mother Jessica found me on Etsy. Jessica has gone out of her way to stock Andy’s toybox with vintage items wherever it seems that the modern incarnation is inferior in terms of design and craftsmanship (almost everywhere!) Andy is obsessed with Ernie and Bert and particularly loves the Little People versions of them. Jessica notes that there these two guys are some of the least annoying tv characters that a child could latch on to, so she considers herself very lucky!
Little People Portrait: Dominic’s Family
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Here’s another “symbolic” family portrait as vintage Fisher-Price Little People! This one was commissioned by Dominic as a Mother’s Day present for his wife Cassandra. In order to represent the couple and their little son Isaac with some accuracy, I took artistic liberties with the classic Little People designs. Dominic requested that I invent a beard for him, so I lifted the detailing from a Fisher-Price Sesame Street Gordon doll and then embellished the facial hair. Dominic typically wears a hat, so I took one from what I think is a Little People mailman and put it atop the classic, green-bodied dad figure. The only female African American Little Person was Susan, whose hairstyle was less representative of Cassandra’s than the standard-issue mother doll’s ponytail, so I changed the coloring and made use of that form. Luckily, a small boy figure that well represents Isaac actually existed. Dominic tells me that they might have an updated portrait made in a couple of years, as the family is expecting a baby girl this August!
My Little Pegasus
5″x7″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. A collection of portraits of classic toys would not be complete without a My Little Pony! Between commissions, I’m building up a body of toy paintings for an upcoming August exhibit. This tiny Pegasus came from our amazing local thrift store, which had a whole basket of Little Ponies. Judging from my daughter’s delight and immediate confiscation of my “model,” we will be going back for more!
Monchhichi
6″x8″ acrylic on cardboard, 2012. This little classic Monchichi turned out to have a very sad story that belies it’s joyful expression and theme song. It had found its way into Sonja’s jumble of toys by way of a visit to my mother’s house. As I was painting it for an upcoming exhibit, it occured to me that I had no idea where it had come from, and so I emailed my family about it. My mom responded that she had picked it up at a yard sale on a whim in the late 80’s when my sister and I were already fairly grown. Our next-door neighbor’s very ill baby girl, Amelia, took a liking to it, and my mom would entertain her by dancing the monkey around. The little plastic feet would make a cheerful clicking sound on the floor Amelia would squeal with delight! She also liked to chew on the monkey’s furry tail. Poor Amelia’s passed away from her heart defect before she had grown beyond babyhood… I love this little toy for being a source of happiness during her short life.
Fisher Price Family
6″x8″ acryic on cardboard, 2012. Here’s a symbolic portrait of our family, each of us represented by a vintage Fisher-Price Little Person. My husband’s incredibly sentimental response to the piece was, of course, “Where’s my hair?” If you’d like a Little People portrait of your own family, please be in touch!