« I have given up a life of comfort and dullness to pursue a life of uncertainty and excitement… All I know is that I need to paint… that is it. »
Best known for his large-scale oil paintings of stuffed animals, Estabrook approaches his work with a delightful playfulness while maintaining a sedulous painterly technique. His personal ritual of mixing and applying paint is honed to a surgical precision, a method informed by his doctorate education. Laying down each thick, richly pigmented brushstroke with attentive patience, Estabrook builds up a rich impasto that evokes the fibers of plush fabric, velvet, and fleece. The artist harmonizes this pristine and sophisticated painting process with the unfettered joy and curiosity exemplary of child’s play.
