Marilyn Monroe icon, oil and encaustic

This is the third posting from my Modern Icon Series that I made 10 years ago using encaustic over oil and carving through the encaustic to reveal the under colors.

Marilyn Monroe is still worshiped as a goddess of beauty, sexuality and vulnerability. The center panel contains a black and white pencil rending of Marilyn's face and hands, making her appear even more remote and other-worldy. Although she is portrayed in a typical Madonna pose, there is no baby. As with all of these icons, I researched the life stories of the star of each icon; what they symbolized and their personal stories. It was reported that even though Marilyn Monroe claimed she desperately wanted a child, both time she became pregnant, she refused to stop drinking and taking drugs, which probably produced her miscarriages. 

The left panel hold Joe DiMaggio as an angel. Di Maggio was her second husband and did mot want Marilyn to continue playing her sex symbol roles in the movies. He would have her be just Mrs. DiMaggio. though they had little in common,  after their divorce he continued to love her. It has been reported that his last words were, "Now, I will see Marilyn again." I have shown him in a welcoming pose; remaining loving and receptive.

Arther Miller, Marilyn's third husband, is portrayed as an angel who is hold up his hand as if to say, "That's enough Marilyn!" Their tumultuous marriage was irreparably damaged by Marilyn's increasing erratic behavior and heavy use of drugs.

The back is painted just in encaustic. Because of Marilyn's desperate need to be a star, there is a large sun-like star surrounded by many smaller stars.

Are We Painting Who We Are And/Or Our Desires?

This morning I received an email about Feng Shui. The art or science of placement in and around our homes. I have studied it a bit through the years and much of it seems to be instinctual for me. It is similar to composition in a painting. The flow in a home or office should be balanced with no energy blockages.  That is a very brief explanation of Feng Shui.

I have felt for years that we paint who we are. I for one am a very organized, no-frills person. I like to to wear tailored clothes, and can't stand clutter in my home. (Now, I can't say the same for my studio when I am working on several paintings at once.) Even when I was a child, I didn't want to wear anything with ruffles or puffed sleeve's. I do like soft fabrics, textures in clothes and color. My paintings are not subtle. I see them as anything but playful or mysterious. It is not that I don't appreciate that in others' paintings. That is just not who I am.

Back to this mornings email. The invitation was to join Marie Diamond's online a Feng Shui classes.
Marie Diamond is one of the ffeatured teachers in The Secret DVD and in The Secret book.

She related a story of a famous film producer who couldn't get a date. Ms. Diamond noticed that in every corner he had this beautiful image of a naked woman draped with a fabric, kind of turning away as if she were saying, "I don't see you."

She said to him, "I think you might have trouble in your romance."

And he said, "Are you clairvoyant?"

"No, but look. In seven places, you have exactly that same woman."

He said, "But I love that kind of painting. I painted it myself."

Shes aid, "That's even worse, because you put all your creation and creativity in it."

She asked him, "What do you want?"

"I want to date three women a week."

I said, "Okay, paint it. Paint yourself with three women, and hang it in every corner of your living space."

Six months later she saw him and and after he made the self portraits with 3 women he couldn't keep the women away.

This story made me think. "Am I painting what I want in my life?' Looking around at my new series, I thought I sure am! I meditate everyday - twice a day. Going deep into the consciousness of Spirit is the most important thing in my life. I am enjoying this last chapter of my life and choose to spend more and more time in solitude.

What are you painting?

more underapaintings

 I am working all day, almost everyday in the studio. I am getting closer to what I want to achieve, but still have a way to go. I hope I get there in this lifetime.

The series , Into the Silence, so far

I have an impromptu one day class on Wednesday, and have to scurry to clean up my studio where I have spread materials on all 6 tables. I will put the paintings that I have been working on in the stacks so there will be room for the students.

I feel that it will be good to take a break, since my biggest problem when I am working figuratively, is over working. I probably should hire someone to burst into the studio and take the paintings away after I have worked on them for a couple of days.

Here is the series so far:

Oil and encaustic

encaustic

encaustic

encaustic

encaustic

oil and encaustic

encaustic

encaustic

encaustic

in process - encaustic

just oil so far

encasutic