Well how can I possibly explain this one! :) Nothing but presents (with the occasional purse or two) for three years of this blog and suddenly Barbie in all her glory. My very early paintings were large still life ensembles like this painting below, and Barbie made several appearances. I know this does not explain, why Barbie, why now, but here she is... she insisted..... I'm just as shocked as you may be :)
Who doesn't love Barbie?
ReplyDeleteI love it! Great idea and great work!
Can't wait to see the next one. :)
Karen, I love your Barbie! She is a nice compliment to your presents work and is equally as adorable.
ReplyDeleteNice work.
I can't believe the 2nd one is a painting. I really thought it was a photo of a setup you had done. Wow! That is wonderful and so much fun. Glad to see you are painting Barbie.
ReplyDeleteShocking. Absolutely shocking.
ReplyDeleteYou know, this is a clever way to paint a nude! Oh how I used to love "playing Barbie" with my little girlfriends. The best part was buying a new outfit for her.
Is the bottom painting recent? Did you title it? I think it's a tremendous commentary on or representation of American kitsch. It's fantastic!
Love both paintings!
Thank you Marlo, but I'm not sure I will even do another. Sort of testing out why I couldn't get her out of my head lately. But who knows :) She does hold a pose better than most life models :)
ReplyDeleteHi Pattie! Thank you!! It is interesting to think about a connection between the two, I'll have to ponder this more.
Thank you Christine! Yes, revisiting older material in a simpler way. It makes my brain hurt to think about painting this entire set up again!
Hey Silvina! No, the bottom painting is old, and I never titled it. Gosh maybe I should? This is one of the few older paintings I hung onto. I have another large barbie painting I kept too, and the very first painting I did with a present also has sort of a barbie in the mix too? Hummmmm...
I just adore your work and hope someday I can own one of my own! The second one is such a great representation of one's childhood! Oh the memories..
ReplyDeleteJust delightful!
Thank you so much Barbara!! I so appreciate your incredible compliment and comment!!
ReplyDeleteI love them both!! The bottom one is like a Pop Culture fever dream.
ReplyDeleteI had to take a look at the bottom one again... so many levels of female/male interaction there. It's like a Women's Studies course. The saucy Barbie leading to the Sugar Daddy... leading to the Old Maid. I won't even comment on Trix. :) It's great though. The more you look, the more you see, but the same can be said for your presents. They're never just presents, they're fleshed out characters.
ReplyDeleteHello Barbie! I love that you are exploring. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteLove Barbie. Her hair does have a few curls that suspiciously resemble ribbons - very much a Karen original. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteHappy painting,
Tam
Jennifer!!! YES!! WOW! Soooooo few people see the male/female connection in this painting! I'm so excited you do! Everything in the painting hints at this, but most people just see this as fun childhood, but it's actually a very very adult and dark painting.
ReplyDeleteThank you too for understanding my presents!!! I always seem to paint what would appear to be easy, happy paintings on the surface. I'm really excited that you see more!! :)
Hey Kate!! Thank you!! Barbie says hello right back! :) LOVE your new large painting! I love the pared down, very graphic interior, and the big blocks of deep rich color!
Ohhhh Tammy, brilliant! I didn't even see the ribbon curls! Oh my gosh, how could I miss that! Obviously this must be why I was unconsciously drawn to pick her! That is pretty cool! Thank you!
A title popped into my head for your larger painting... "The Wedding Planner". Reading the comments I look again and it IS on the dark side... oh, Wicked Barbie! Wearing a black dress to marry the sugar daddy and celebrate his funeral (probably from a sugar overdose) and live happily ever after in Candy Land. You are so clever. Love it.
ReplyDeleteHi R! You are cracking me up! Now that's an interesting interpretation! Love it! Thank you so much for commenting! I'll be smiling the rest of the day!
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