“Yeppy!” is a fun and simple composition featuring a blue-furred little teddy bear poking out his tongue at the viewer, complete with a large gold bow and pink-gloved hands with pencil-lined claws. The title of the piece came from his delightful facial expression… you can imagine him going “Yeppy!” as if we caught him mid-motion and he is about to continue playfully dancing around.

This lively energy and suggestion of movement are augmented by the visible pencil marks of the sketch I made before beginning painting. The graphite lines now poke out in just a few places on the white gessoed canvas, providing moments of monochromatic crispness to balance the organic richness of the oil paint.