Recollect-Ted WIP 1 and hopefully sharing a smile

Do you remember when I showed you a photo of two old Teds and a few other objects a few weeks ago? Click on the link if you want to see the photo again.

To quickly recap, in November of last year I agreed to help raise money for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada. There was a local TV auction and the person with the highest bid won the opportunity to work with me in developing my next Ted painting.  My lucky winner Helen chose to base the idea for the painting on her and her twin sisters two old Teds who have been with them since they were both two years old. She also loaned me an old photo of the two of them as children and a few other sentimental objects to encorporate into the painting. As I carefully unpacked the Teds, the old photograph and the other objects the idea of the two Teds recollecting a very special moment in their life when they were first adopted came to me.

I wanted create a background that was relatively plain but at the same time enhance the soft feminine feel that I want the painting to have so I chose to suggest a stitched quilt type texture.

The old framed photograph was a delight to paint. At about 3 by just over 6 inches it's almost a true miniature painting within the larger painting. I adapted the old reference photo slightly and added in Helen and Linda's two Teds as youngsters capturing that moment when they had just been given by their uncle in Ireland. Click on the photo to see the painting so far a little larger. I will be working on Linda's Ted next (the one behind the photograph).

I also want to share with you a fun e card that I made while waiting for the successive glazes of paint to dry on the background. I hope it makes you smile.

Ona