Marilyn & The Dreamgirls Artist Statement

Marilyn & The Dreamgirls Artist Statement

Marilyn and The Dreamgirls

The title of this exhibit, Marilyn and The Dreamgirls is designed to refer to musical groups of the ‘50’s and later. Marilyn is the lead accompanied by The Dreamgirls. They work together and they harmonize.

Most of the titles of the paintings are from the music world – mainly from “golden oldies” of our past. These titles evoke memories and also represent our dreams in an aural, musical manner. Other titles reference Marilyn movie titles or phrases associated with her.

Who is Marilyn?

Marilyn Monroe remains the most provocative female legend of the 20th and 21st centuries – a cultural icon, a dreamgirl, idealized, fantasized about and adored by both men and women.

Marilyn, as America’s dreamgirl, symbolizes beauty, sexiness, stardom, vulnerable femininity – the dumb blonde, the ideal woman of the ‘50’s

But Marilyn Monroe was a Hollywood creation, a made up name, a manufactured personality – commercially powerful but yet unreal. Norma Jean Baker was the real person, Marilyn but a fantasy – a cutout, a mannequin, a dream.

What is a dreamgirl?

A dream is a fantasy, a thought, an imagination, a desire, a product of the unconscious. Like Marilyn, a dream is an unreal representation of our hopes and desires.

“Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.”

Like Marilyn, a girl is young, sexy, vulnerable, fragile, not yet an adult, not a woman. She can be beautiful and sexy but not in a mature way.

As a star, a dreamgirl can be written about, photographed, imitated. She can set the standards of beauty, fashion and behavior. She can be rich and powerful.

What is a mannequin?

A mannequin is the fiberglass dreamgirl of our popular culture and as such depicts the ideal woman whose beauty, clothes and lifestyle signify our hopes and dreams. She has a pervasive presence in urban life – on the streets, in magazines, malls and runways – the ultimate in commercial allure.

What about tattoos?

The Krewe de Tat is a series of paintings about tattoos. Although these pieces are inspired by photos of real people, these are paintings which seek to represent the ideas behind these body markings while simulating the graphic, inking style

Tattoos of women can be thought of in the same way as actual mannequins. These marking, too, are artificial symbols of our desires. And although people look at and emulate mannequins, they inscribe ink tattoo images into their skin – a very permanent symbol of their dream – their dreamgirl.

Tattoos seem to show a sexier side of desire. These images picture more than just beauty and allure but go deeper with fantasies of temptation, sexy aggressiveness, passion, religion and even bondage.

What about the show?

Nothing in this show is real, everything is a dream – Marilyn, mannequins and tattoos are all girls of our dreams pretending to be real. They represent many different kinds of passions and desire.

All unreal, all pretense, contemporary fairy tales – yes, perhaps. But is this such a bad thing? How real do we really want our lives to be?

Don’t we spend so much of our days pursuing our goals? Our dreams? Do we ever achieve all we want? Where would we be without our fantasies, our hopes? Where would we be without our dreamgirls?

Street Art?

I paint what I see, what’s around me.
All paintings in this show depict New Orleans locales – mostly seen from the street. All the tattoos are from real people seen in the streets or at events in New Orleans, California and many other states.

This show is of the street – every painting has been inspired by something seen out there in the public arena. Additionally, all subjects in this show were designed to be viewed by others – nothing is private. These images represent what is out there, among us and viewed by whoever is paying attention.


Home The Artist News & Events Paintings Commissions Press Prints Resume Contact/Purchase Links	Marilyn & The Dreamgirls Artist Statement Marilyn and The Dreamgirls The title of this exhibit, Marilyn and The Dreamgirls is designed to refer to musical groups of the ‘50’s and later. Marilyn is the lead accompanied by The Dreamgirls. They work together and they harmonize. Most of the titles of the paintings are from the music world – mainly from “golden oldies” of our past. These titles evoke memories and also represent our dreams in an aural, musical manner. Other titles reference Marilyn movie titles or phrases associated with her. Who is Marilyn? Marilyn Monroe remains the most provocative female legend of the 20th and 21st centuries – a cultural icon, a dreamgirl, idealized, fantasized about and adored by both men and women. Marilyn, as America’s dreamgirl, symbolizes beauty, sexiness, stardom, vulnerable femininity – the dumb blonde, the ideal woman of the ‘50’s But Marilyn Monroe was a Hollywood creation, a made up name, a manufactured personality – commercially powerful but yet unreal. Norma Jean Baker was the real person, Marilyn but a fantasy – a cutout, a mannequin, a dream. What is a dreamgirl? A dream is a fantasy, a thought, an imagination, a desire, a product of the unconscious. Like Marilyn, a dream is an unreal representation of our hopes and desires. “Sugar and spice, and everything nice, That’s what little girls are made of.” Like Marilyn, a girl is young, sexy, vulnerable, fragile, not yet an adult, not a woman. She can be beautiful and sexy but not in a mature way. As a star, a dreamgirl can be written about, photographed, imitated. She can set the standards of beauty, fashion and behavior. She can be rich and powerful. What is a mannequin? A mannequin is the fiberglass dreamgirl of our popular culture and as such depicts the ideal woman whose beauty, clothes and lifestyle signify our hopes and dreams. She has a pervasive presence in urban life – on the streets, in magazines, malls and runways – the ultimate in commercial allure. What about tattoos? The Krewe de Tat is a series of paintings about tattoos. Although these pieces are inspired by photos of real people, these are paintings which seek to represent the ideas behind these body markings while simulating the graphic, inking style Tattoos of women can be thought of in the same way as actual mannequins. These marking, too, are artificial symbols of our desires. And although people look at and emulate mannequins, they inscribe ink tattoo images into their skin – a very permanent symbol of their dream – their dreamgirl. Tattoos seem to show a sexier side of desire. These images picture more than just beauty and allure but go deeper with fantasies of temptation, sexy aggressiveness, passion, religion and even bondage. What about the show? Nothing in this show is real, everything is a dream – Marilyn, mannequins and tattoos are all girls of our dreams pretending to be real. They represent many different kinds of passions and desire. All unreal, all pretense, contemporary fairy tales – yes, perhaps. But is this such a bad thing? How real do we really want our lives to be? Don’t we spend so much of our days pursuing our goals? Our dreams? Do we ever achieve all we want? Where would we be without our fantasies, our hopes? Where would we be without our dreamgirls? Street Art? I paint what I see, what’s around me. All paintings in this show depict New Orleans locales – mostly seen from the street. All the tattoos are from real people seen in the streets or at events in New Orleans, California and many other states. This show is of the street – every painting has been inspired by something seen out there in the public arena. Additionally, all subjects in this show were designed to be viewed by others – nothing is private. These images represent what is out there, among us and viewed by whoever is paying attention.
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