Wednesday 29 March 2023

Mrs Pins, three ways.


I'm sure you've noticed that restaurants are now serving everything 'three ways'. Pork three ways, Lamb three ways, Chicken three ways. There's no stopping them.

So, here's Mrs Pins three ways. Mrs P is my daughter, Tenpin's, bear. She was a present from my mother. This below is her in original form, with her two offspring; looking slightly tattered these days. As is traditional with most Teddy Bears, she seems always to have had just one eye.


Mrs Pins has appeared in several of my paintings; this one (below) being with Tenpin for her first ever portrait. The painting contained three of her favourite things, the background material, her jumper with the stripes on the shoulders, and of course Mrs Pins herself.


She has also appeared in several still-life paintings. I've used her when teaching; using her to demonstrate certain techniques to students. This one below was painted whilst lecturing out in The Caribbean, and stayed out there for several decades, until it was brought back to France and returned to me. How nice was that!


I'm not certain, but I think Mrs Pins has appeared in more of my paintings than any other static object. She must be more 'painterly' than all other bears, etc.

 

19 comments:

  1. I feel sorry for Mrs Pins and would get her another eye, I think she deserves one after being half blind all these years.

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    1. I'm afraid I must disagree. It seems to be a major part of all Bears lives that they have just one eye; the other one I imagine having 'passed through' its owner.

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  2. I have a very similar teddy......bear head and cloth body and limbs. Was originally a " she" wearing a dress, but when the dress wore out my Mum knitted a red and white trouser suit and she became he!!

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    1. I think Mrs P came in kit form, and my mother assembled her, so it is quite possible that there are several others still around. She has a lovely face.

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  3. Your last painting is by far the best I have seen, especially as it contains two of my favourite things - bear and ginger jar.
    My Hug of bears all have both eyes and the NHS/Private system would be happy to rectify Mrs Pins eyesight.

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    1. I'm surprised that your bears all have two eyes. Maybe it's just here that ours all resemble Nelson.

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  4. She is doing well for her age isn't she.

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    1. Lady M has been threatening some 'Repair Shop' style repairs, but I think she's fine as she is.

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  5. Your Mrs Pins is rather like Grayson Perry's Alan Measles - not in terms of appearance but more in terms of the inspiration and comfort they have each provided.

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    1. I shall have to investigate Alan Measles. I like his name, it reminds me of a friend's house that's called 'Giblets'.

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  6. Has she only got ore eye or is the other one not quite visible?

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    1. Only one. I don't ever remember her having two.

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  7. Mrs. P is certainly a much loved teddy. I would be tempted to add the missing eye. A good restorer could do this and only this. Does Mrs. P have a wardrobe? Her 2 dresses in the photos imply a wardrobe. As a child, your daughter was lucky to have a favorite teddy.

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    1. My wife wanted to make new clothes, but I dissuaded her. I like her as she is.

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  8. The jury is out, Cro. One of my son's teddies (a glove puppet) is indeed of the one eyed variety. However the other still has two. Well, what do you expect from a Steiff original? When FOS (father-of-son) queried the necessity of spending a fortune on a teddy bear I told him "Every child needs a Steiff". One thing FOS never questioned was my wisdom in all things child-related. Steiff it was and still is, much loved - albeit these days a decoration (pride of place in the lounge) rather than being played with and dragged along on one ear by a toddler.

    Here is an idea, Cro: I don't know how mischievous Lady M is (and hats off to her for making up such a lovely toy more or less from scratch). What if she never sowed in a second eye in the first place, and no one noticed? If so it must have made her laugh (quietly).

    U

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    1. I'm certain that Mrs Pins did originally have two eyes, but other than filtering the 'poo' of my infant daughter, we shall never know what happened to the one. It's all a bit late now!

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  9. Mrs Pins seems to be loved by more than Tenpin.

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