11″x14″ acrylic, 2012. What fun I’ve had painting all these clever wooden hand-made toys! You may have seen my individual portraits of this bear, duck, and grasshopper earlier this summer, and this group portrait brings in a fourth toy. The rabbit is overturned to reveal the signature of Pops, Barbara’s talented and generous late father. “Pops” made beautiful toys for several generations of his family, and Barbara commissioned this quartet of portraits to honor him and his lovely work.
Tag: pull-toy
Bear Pull-Toy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Here’s a third portrait of a beautiful pull-toy handmade by Barb’s late father. Barbs’ children (now grown) called her father “Pops,” and he always made sure to spend lots of quality time with them. The kids have fond memories of helping him build and paint projects in his shop such as wooden swords and birdfeeders, and they played cards using a wooden cardholder made by Pops to assist little hands in managing the cards. Barb’s father carefully researched his finishes and materials to be sure the toys were non-toxic. It’s a thrill to paint these amazing family treasures! You can see my other portraits of Pop’s pull-toys here and here.
Wooden Duck Pull-Toy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. The further down I dig in the box of priceless goodies I recieved from Barbara, the better it gets! Barbara has entrusted me to paint several wooden pull-toys that were hand-made by her late father for several generations of children. This duck is as much a joy to hold as it is to pull along — perfectly smooth, heavy, beautifully shaped, perfectly finished! The egg sits loosely between the wheels and rolls end over end as they turn, which absolutely amazed my daughter (and me.) Click here to read more about Barbara’s talented father and to see his fabulous wooden grasshopper pull-toy!
Grasshopper Pull-toy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Barbara’s late father, Joe, who made this fabulous pull-along grasshopper, merged his love of children and of beautiful, well-made objects in his craft. For part of his life he restored antique furniture for a living, and ultimately began to build his own wooden toys. Joe’s wife made denim quilts, and together they traveled the craft show circuit in New Mexico and Texas. The first of Joe’s many hand-made gifts to his grandchildren was a rattle carved from a single piece of wood! Barbara’s family cherishes the many toys that Joe lovingly made for them throughout the years, and they keep a stash aside for his great-grandchildren.