| MARILYN MONROE CONTINUES TO FASCINATE THE PUBLIC 50 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH? ARTISTS CHRIS OSBORNE AND KARL SODERLUND BOTH PORTRAY MARILYN IN TWO DISTINCT STYLES; BOTH EXTREMELY PROFICIENT IN THEIR TECHNIQUE AND PRESENTATION ! Hello [User Name], CHRIS OSBORNE Marilyn Monroe rode with Arthur Miller in his 1955 Thunderbird convertible and it was rumored that she purchased a 1956 pink Thunderbird. Artist Chris Osborne chose to give Marilyn a relaxing day, in a fun car, in this realistic 40" x 48" painting. Chris Osborne focuses her attention on the details of the car in her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe and her 1956 Thunderbird showcasing this vintage car, sleek, shinny, and smooth against the sexy, sensual, smiling Marilyn. Both observed from the rear, unusual for a portrait but a successful technique used in this painting as it invites the viewer into the picture. Marilyn appears to be waiting for someone to return, or for her driver to arrive as she turns to the observer and smiles while gently fanning her fingers. A fascination with old cars and their owners, Osborne likes to create a dual portrait, one of the car in all it's elegance and the other of the star. They are inexorably joined together each enhancing the other. Here, Marilyn is portrayed as a young woman, in fact, the gal next door. The scene is nostalgic and the composition is exciting as the painter successfully draws the eyes of the viewer from the left hand side of the painting through the central portion and out to the ocean in a lyrical flowing line. Each of Chris's paintings of cars and their stars, has a unique perspective and can be seen on http://www.artspecifier.com. 
Raised in New Milford,Connecticut, Osborne received a BA in Art from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson NY and an MFA in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After an extended stay on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1970’s, she moved to New York City, working with legendary artist’s agent Jane Lander representing a group of illustrators with a preference toward fine art. This pivotal move guided Chris toward figurative drawing and painting, and in the mid-1980’s she left the agent profession to pursue art on her own. Over the decade of the 1990’s Chris supplemented her work by managing the Jazz & Blues department at Tower Records Lincoln Center, the largest retail record store in New York, which put her significantly in the midst of the music world. It was an experience that will forever enrich her creative work. Along with an array of commissioned work Chris has exhibited widely in galleries and art associations in the Northeast and New York City, selling several landscapes and participating in invitational exhibits at annual Collector Car events. These events include the Kruse Auction in Auburn, Indiana, the Louisville Concours d’Elegance, the Hamptons Concours d’Elegance, the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles, the Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance, the Fairfield County (CT) Concours d’Elegance, and the Classic Car Club of America annual gathering in Hickory Corners, Michigan. She was the CCCA poster artist for 2005, and is the 2011 Dayton Concours poster artist. In April & May of 2006 the Auburn Cord Dusenberg Museum and Kruse Museum in Indiana exhibited her work in a solo show. KARL SODERLUND Karl Soderlund Iconic Obsessions, A Toast to Marilyn, oil on canvas, 67" x 87". This is the first painting in a series of famous portraits of many pop artists. In contrast to Osborne's painting above, Soderlund choses a full face frontal portrait incorporating details in the portrait that are carefully placed and important to the entire theme of Marilyn Monroe as a "Sex Goddess". The background is composed entirely of small hour glass symbols in reference to her figure. Looking deeper into the painting, you will discover titles of her movies and outlines of her awards. An even closer look will reveal several pictures of her including silhouettes of her notorious dress blowing in the wind. The toast is a large champaign flute filled with small Marilyn figures from movies. Due to her beauty, movies, relationships with famous men, books and theories (fact or fiction) Marilyn has become even more famous with time. Her early death has guaranteed that she will remain forever young. After she died Joe DiMaggio had fresh roses delivered to her crypt for twenty years. The crypt directly above Marilyn sold for $4.6 million in 2009. 
Soderlund has additional portraits on http://www.artspecifier.com and each of the paintings incorporate unique images within the portrait that are discovered as you observe the subtle nuances appearing upon close observation. Karl has been a fine artist his entire life and is well known for his portraits, seascapes and landscapes. Karl’s numerous accomplishments are evident; You can find his work hanging in over 250 public and private collections, including international public companies, Merrill Lynch, Pepsi-Cola and the Heisman Trophy portrait collection. His paintings have been shown in the finest galleries, as well as featured on television, in magazines and newspapers. In 2002 Karl led the introduction of the Heisman Trophy Awards on national television by painting that year's winner. In 2010 Karl had his first Solo exhibit at the National Arts Club in NYC featuring his series "Iconic Obsessions". Karl also teaches at the Rowayton Arts Center |
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