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Sunday, November 6, 2022

Toys Recreate Paintings, I: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Today come the first postings of toy interpretations of the Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Vermeer at #ToysRecreatePaintings on Instagram.
If it appeals, feel free to jump in
with your own offering anytime there, or here in the blogosphere.


BELOW: my interpretation, Girlette and a Pearl Earring, with Duck.


Linda Sue, Orphan Wrangler Extraordinaire, isn't on IG. She emailed me her Orphan with a Pearl Earring, below. I marvel at the  headwrap,
layered like cake frosting--how did she get it to stay up there?!
Did it slither down, like a cake left in the rain?

(Linda Sue, I hope you don't mind, I posted it with an IG filter, to approximate Dutch Golden Age varnish.)

BELOW: Sarah's, from Circles of Rain blog. Lovely! And another elaborate head wrap that I know took some doing to get it to stay perched on top. :)


A couple other Instagrammers have posted too--and another says she will. 
UPDATE: There are now eight Girls, including mine.

Below: Top Row, L to R: bink's Squiggles (late entry); by IG MadelineCharmed; and my sister's (photoshopped black background)
Middle Row: By Sister again (orig background); our Sarah, Linda Sue,
Bottom Row:
IG Jeanne; Amy S.'s Cabbage Patch Doll; my Girlette & duck

I'm about as pleased with my interpretation as I've been with anything I've done. It is a flowering (I should say, hatching) of my philosophy to work with (transform) what you have to hand.

I'd thought it'd be easy to whip out this simple composition, and in prep, I'd already asked bink for the blue plastic bag to be a forehead wrap.
But this morning, I discovered I had NO cloth to make a fall from the crown of the head. I looked everywhere for something suitable, and in a suitcase in the closet was THIS DUCK. (Actually, also from bink--a childhood toy that needs restoration.)

Not only was Duck the right colors, but I'd unstuffed and washed it a while ago. In this flat state, Duck could drape around the girlette. Is it whispering secrets? Or stealing her earring?

Only these two know.


4 comments:

  1. These are wonderful -the duck mad GREAT improvising and I am sure duck feels mighty special! Thank you for the inspiration- now all of the orphans want a group project- "last supper " was suggested but that is too ambitious.

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  2. LINDA SUE: The duck is preening like crazy, yeah.

    I was thinking of the Last Supper myself!
    I have enough girlettes for it,
    and you have enough orphans, with the latest arrivals, I think? (Or close enough--some of the disciples... eh, who cares?)

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  3. I like their cheerful expressions. They’re nor competing with Vermeer -- they’re just doing their best. : )

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  4. MICHAEL: That's it--it's not a competition.
    It was hard to photograph them because they kept laughing so much!

    ReplyDelete