The Best of Friends

My nephew, Hayes, was born in September of 2021 and I, of course, wanted to spoil him with all the things. My sister (his mom) decorated his nursery with a pond theme of soft greens and wood textures. I found the cutest handmade Frog and Toad stuffed animals and thought a painting accompanying them would be perfect!

While the activity of the painting has been seen of throughout The Adventures of Frog and Toad, I still wanted to add in some special nods. The main two are fishing since Kyle, Hayes’ dad, is a hardcore fisherman and loves the Mississippi River. The painted turtle friend is a tribute to all of my memories catching turtles with my sister at our local frog pond. It’s my hope that as Hayes grows, we will sit together snuggling the two stuffed animals, looking at the painting, reading of their adventures and learning a thing or two about life and friendship.

Windsor & Newton watercolors.