Lion, Tiger, and Bear: Oh My!
Inspiration (In the Studio from March 2026 Newsletter)
In keeping with the lion theme, I thought I’d share something quietly unfolding in the background. I have an oil painting my mother created when she was twelve — a tender still life of her stuffed animals. I didn’t realize until just now how perfectly this painting echoes this month’s theme. A lion. A lamb. And an elf — quietly holding the magic that makes the transition possible.
This painting has always felt like more than a childhood study. It is a connection. In December, I decided to create my own interpretation.
When my sister visited six weeks ago, she brought Leo the Lion in her carry-on. (Yes, he flew JetBlue.) At the studio, another artist recognized him as a Steiff. Looking more closely, I realized that many of the stuffed animals we still have are also Steiff — including Tiger, who will join Leo in this composition.
There’s something meaningful about that continuity. Objects carried across decades. Small witnesses to growing up.
During my monthly sketch session, I chose to draw Leo from life. Pencils slow me down. Drawing forces observation. The curve of his stitched mouth. The way his glass eyes catch light. The softness of his fur worn thin in places.
When I eventually pose him for the painting, I want to know him well.
This will be one of those still lifes that becomes a portrait — not of a stuffed animal, but of a person. A childhood. A history held in objects. But most of all, a connection to my mother.
This post will be updated as the painting progresses.
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