Oil on canvas – 9,45 x 11,81 inch – Unique work

It has been a little over 8 months since you were waiting warmly in my belly. You wished to see the world a little earlier than expected to my delight. And you came out like a flower!

Then, a few days later, you entered the Auxerre countryside. A donkey, a ram were waiting for you. And since then, your love for animals has grown steadily. And then in your bedroom, actually mine which had become yours, enthroned on the empire bed … He was there, sitting comfortably, arms wide open to hold you very tight and bring you all the comfort you would need throughout your life. His name is Big Teddy!

Well, thats’s the name you chose when you were old enough to speak. When you weren’t walking yet, I would put you between its legs, slightly tilted so as you wouldn’t fall forward, and take a picture. Moments that I have never forgotten and that regularly come alive each time I see Big Teddy in your bedroom. Because you left in the meantime but Big Teddy is still there, steady. Is he waiting for your return? Is he waiting to be part of your new adult life? No matter how much I ask, I still have no answer!

He followed us in all our moves, he always had a special place in your room. Yes, first on the floor on the very soft carpet. And then, with you, in your loft bed. I always wondered how he managed to live a few millimeters from the ceiling, with so little oxygen. But I finally understood that what mattered to him was to be close to you.

Other animals have arrived in your life. Would I dare say a multitude? I have never counted them but I know from a reliable source that they are many in your life. Pinpin has been part of all your suitcases, all your travels! His favorite, he told me once, one night as you came home late, it was in New York. He had struggled with jet lag but such a change of scenery had literally charmed him and reassured you. It was like a bit of home elsewhere.

Big Teddy is and will remain the first. A huge bond between you and this bear.