【Anne Marie Gonzales Archives】

Remember being a kid,Anne Marie Gonzales Archives when all it took to cheer you up was a cuddle with your favorite teddy bear?

Brent Estabrook, a 31-year-old artist from Los Angeles, taps into that childhood feeling to create gorgeous, incredibly detailed paintings of stuffed animals.

He recently shared his work on Reddit with the caption, "Hey Reddit, I gave up my 9-to-5 to pursue my true love in life: ART!!!"

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"I always viewed stuffed animals as symbolic to that childhood state where anything is possible, and dreams and passions had no limits!" Estabrook wrote in an email to Mashable.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"At some point in life, society starts trying to convince you that, 'You need to get a good secure job, save for retirement, and when you are 60, then you can have fun.' Screw that! I say, do what you love now," he told Mashable.

"Furthermore, stuffed animals are the great generational-connector of our time. Everybody from the oldest living person to an infant can often find a positive connection with stuffed animals," he believes. "So, for what I hope is not too self-serving of a reason, I enjoy painting stuffed animals because I know I can a can attract a large audience and thus spread the message of the absolute beauty of following your dreams and passions."

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Estabrook also enjoys the challenge of painting detailed, vibrant stuffed animals.

"From an artistic standpoint, stuffed animals fulfill all my artistic desires. Painting stuffed animals allows me to exemplify oil paints' beauty of color and brushstroke (texture)," he explained to Mashable. "I have recently been fortunate enough to see some of the greats (Monet, Rembrandt, Dali, etc...) in person and was completely blown away by the experience. My hope is to make my art as exciting to look at in person as were the works mentioned above."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

To create his stuffed menageries, the artist paints a combination of random stuffed animals and characters we all know and love, including My Little Pony, Mickey Mouse, Mike Wazowski, Nemo and Elmo.

The largest stuffed animal painting Estabrook has made is 84 inches by 72 inches. When asked how long he spends painting each piece, he explained that it's hard to measure, because he works on multiple pieces at a time.

"In short, I have no idea, I work on multiple paintings at a once. Time, like a Dali clock, melts away," he said, poetically. "If I had to guess, for one of my larger pieces, I would say between 200 and 300 hours. You'll rarely catch me outside of my studio."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Estabrook followed his dreams by dedicating his art to painting stuffed animals, and he is passionate about inspiring young people to do the same.

"I would encourage everybody to take some time out of their day to think about what does and will make them the happiest in life," Estabrook said. "Specifically if you are still in the, 'What the hell do I do with my life?' stage, then please, please take this advice: Life here on Earth is very short. Do not waste it working at some mindless job; create happy living on your own terms. The internet alone has created a billion, zillion ways to do this. Just start reading books, doing research and start pursuing a life of passion!"

To see more of Brent Estabrook's art, check out his website and Instagram.

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