9″x12″ acrylic, 2011. Well, this portrait was by far my most complex assignment! Cam, who is in his thirties, will present the painting to his mother as a belated Mother’s Day gift. The toys depicted are the favorites of her three children. I was provided with enough photographs showing the toys at various stages of wear and tear to paper the walls of my studio! Cam had a very helpful (but challenging) laundry list of requests for the painting. Trena, the baby doll, belonged to Cam’s older sister, and only required a little pinkness restored to her cheeks. Cam’s own unusual, stuffed monkey required more attention: I was to restore his orignal black and yellow body, as it has since been almost entirely replaced with patterned fabric. However, the color of his face was to be shown in it’s current “tan” condition rather than the original pristine white. A banana once held in the monkey’s hand is now entirely worn away, and Cam wanted the banana’s absence to be evident, as it marks the monkey as “his.” Sadly, the firetruck had been the last favorite toy of the eldest son just before he passed away as a very small child. Cam’s mother had recently had it fully restored save for its original lettering on the sides, so I worked from very old photos to add the white design to the new glossy red paint job. We agonized over the composition, and at long last the portrait came together. I hope that Cam’s mother enjoys this celebration of her childrens’ happiest moments! If you’d like to see another portrait I’ve done of a crazy-looking stuffed monkey, click here, and here for another vintage firetruck!

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