A Boy and His Dragon, original upcycled vintage painting

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the original film, "How To Train Your Dragon." I took my eldest daughter to see it in the theatre, she was just 2.5 years old at the time... and she fell in love with dragons. At the time there weren't many "girly" fan clothes for the film, so I bought a boys hoodie, and sewed red fabric under the arms, so she could put her arms out and spread her "wings" and run around like a dragon! (Shortly after the film was released, my son was born, so it was a very special year for me.) The second film was one of those rare times the sequel is as good as the first movie... and the final film had all three of my children in tears at the conclusion of the series. 

My favourite thing about the original films is the friendship between Hiccup & Toothless. They are both the same age, both figuring out who they are. As an artist, I LOVE that scene when they bonded over drawing in the sand together! And I still get choked up when I watch that scene when Hiccup looks away and puts his hand out towards Toothless... in friendship. 

So with this alteration, I wanted to capture that bond between the boy and his dragon... just a couple best friends looking out at the vast landscape, ready to explore together. 

The original vintage painting is signed but I can't read the writing! I collected this vintage painting from a local antique dealer... they got in touch with me because it had a big rip right in the middle, which made it very difficult to sell as is without the repair. It's such a shame that artwork is so expensive to repair... there's something wrong with our system when repairing an object is more expensive than purchasing a new one! I spent some time mending the rip (it now has a sturdy patch on the back, afixed with acid free glue & bleach free patch) and you don't even notice it! 

"A Boy And His Dragon"
Mixed media on vintage painting on canvas
61 x 122 cm (24 x 48 inch) canvas
77 x 136 cm (30 x 53.5 inch) vintage frame