The Story

“Pile of Friends” Painting began as an idea to invite Collectors to immortalize their own favorite plushies in one of Brent’s famous Stuffed Animal Pile paintings.

In November, 2024 Brent and The Studio Team announced the Community Project and 34 plushies were submitted along with their stories to take their place with Smiles.

In January, Brent began sketching basing each plushie’s personality and positioning on the photo and story that the Collector submitted, including each of the 34 plushies in the Pile.

Early on, Brent knew the name of the finished painting would be called Pile of Friends, in a nod to both the plushies, Friends of Smiles, and their owners, Friends and Collectors of Brent’s art.

In late March, Brent began the Light Layer, the thin layer that forms the base of the light, shadow, energy, and movement of the finished painting.

In this phase, the plushies began to come alive with color and movement, the beginnings of each of their personalities taking shape.

In April, Brent began the final layer. He is currently putting down brush to canvas using the thick impasto he is so well known for, giving each of the plushies its own unique texture and form.

“Pile of Friends” will be complete sometime in 2025 but Brent wanted to offer Friends and Collectors the opportunity to acquire the full Limited Edition Print Set in advance.

Each early-order will be guaranteed to have the same low edition number on all 3 Prints, and Collectors can request the edition number of their choice, first come first served.

At this time, the only way to acquire “Pile of Friends” is to inquire about the original painting or collect the Print Set that includes the Sketch, the Light Layer, and the Final Painting.