INSPIRATIONS + OBSERVATIONS

OVER A LIFETIME OF MARILYN was the fourth painting in my series of pop inspired work. Being heavily influenced by Andy Warhol, I thought it was time to go back and rediscover my passions for the work. In flipping through a standard Pop Art book, I found myself stuck on Andy's portrait of Marilyn. Curious at the power of art and its ability to marry these two icons into our working memories forever-- I questioned Andy's interest in Marilyn as a subject, was it in her life or in her death?  Consequently, thoughts on greatness, repetition, consumption, and influence, etc. started bubbling to the surface and so I knew I had to proceed with a series of work. But most importantly, it is my point of view that it is our responsibility to examine our Visual Culture-- instead of just consuming 'it' that drives my passion throughout the series. 

OVER A LIFETIME OF MARILYN resets the stage for the visual narrative to take place. I choose to repeat other imagery in the series, presenting a sense of unity, connecting the whole series as one. The idea of repetition is incorporated (as apposed to variety) to look at how we perceive truth-- questioning just how many times we need to see and/or hear something before we take information to be the unquestioned truth. Additionally, inspired by Andy's segmented canvas, I was able to present a progression of  time, overwhelm the viewer with nine portraits, and continue to reference the Pop Art Movement-- the time where their lives happen to intersect. Although confined by a stabilized structure, the viewer is presented with an opportunity to grasp fuller, dynamic view of Marilyn.