Name: Vikki North
Location: USA
Title: ‘Harpo Marx’
Price of Original: $1850 (Prints will be available)
Size: 16″x20″ Gallery wrapped canvas
Medium: Acrylic
Artist web site:
http://www.theredchairgallery.com/
http://redchair-vikkisblog.blogspot.com/
From Vikki:
Who better to represent the definition of ‘Silence’ than the King of Silence, Harpo Marx.
Harpo never spoke in any of the Marx Bros. films and to date and is still the inspiration for so many comedians. He was born 1888 and died in 1964. Before he left us, he wrote a wonderful biography entitle “Harpo Speaks.”
To read my short tale “Harpo & me’ please visit my blog at the above link.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Rusty // Feb 27, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Your painting is so incredible. You remind us that silence is not a void, it can speak volumes.
2 Sonya Meglaurel // Feb 27, 2010 at 10:08 pm
oh man this matches the one from last month. OH to have these sitting side by side! Vikki; harpo was always my favorite of all time. Congratulations on an absolutely outstanding rendering of Silence.
3 vikki // Feb 27, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Thanks Rusty. I have always loved Harpo. He was my favorite of all the brothers.
4 vikki // Feb 27, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Thanks Sonya. I think I’ve inadvertantly gone off on a series of these minimal palette paintings. I normally work in pretty rich color and I’ve gone to the opposite side of the spectrum with these. I think I like the exercise.
Did you guys notice the split in his pants and white stockings? That was standard in his costumes. The split went just above his knee. “Pants flapping in the wind.”
5 Rusty // Feb 27, 2010 at 10:41 pm
I did notice the “split”. He used his oversized trench coat to exaggerate his movements. I thought it was his overcoat over his leg. I never knew about the actual split. You know things….
6 Pegi Sue // Feb 28, 2010 at 8:59 am
I would be so happy if one day I could do Oils that could ALMOST compare to yours. FABULOUS!!!:)
7 vikki // Feb 28, 2010 at 10:27 am
Hi Rusty-I enjoy researching some of my subjects and apparently his first costumes represented the attire of bums of his time. His pants and coat were tattered and ripped. Overtime the costume stylist upscaled Harpo’s dress but the split leg pants remained a standard. The split was actually sewn into well tailored ensembles like the one he’s wearing here. All focus was on how he looked running across a set.
8 vikki // Feb 28, 2010 at 10:30 am
Thanks Pegi but your a wonderful painter already! Just trust yourself and take chances sweet girl. That’s how we grow in our work.
9 WILLIAM MALTESE // Feb 28, 2010 at 11:57 am
What better way to represent “Silence”, indeed! If I came to The Artist Gallery, each exhibition, for nothing else, it would to be to see what wonder you’ve managed to come up with next.
10 vikki // Feb 28, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Hi William,
Thank you sweet man.
11 Candle Artist Jfay // Feb 28, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Awesomeness yet once again Ms. Vikki! Love Harpo — LOVE your beautiful work — It is really amazing.
12 Ray Shuell // Mar 1, 2010 at 6:00 am
My favorite of the trio, you’ve captured him so well, the fun was always in his eyes. A beautiful picture.
13 vikki // Mar 1, 2010 at 11:02 am
Hi Ray -
Thanks . All the brothers were so different but they all had those large wide eyes where you’d see the white around a dark brown iris. It was even more pronounced with the white stage makeup.
14 Mary Mary // Mar 2, 2010 at 11:32 am
WOW o WOW Vikki, this is just a beautiful and amazing painting. I am blown away. Such a great concept for silence .
15 vikki // Mar 2, 2010 at 11:49 am
Thanks Mary.
16 Gail // Mar 2, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Vicki,
This is gorgeous-as is all of your work. I really like the use of the minimal palette in this series. The images speak volumes.
17 Gail // Mar 2, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Vicki,
This is gorgeous – as is all of your work. I really like the use of the minimal palette in this series, it allows the images to speak for themselves. (“Honk, honk!”
18 fanny christian // Mar 3, 2010 at 5:15 am
As always Vikki, this is beautiful. I LOVE the monochromatic colours and such a clever idea to use Harpo as a model!
19 vikki // Mar 3, 2010 at 11:14 am
Thanks Fanny and Gail-
I enjoy minimal palette because it really makes me stretch. It forces me to focus on values rather than reliance on color to define a variance in texture. And what I learn from that I take back into a full color painting. Does that make sense?
20 Sarah // Mar 6, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Vikki, as always…AMAZING! So open and present. I so enjoyed reading your blog post, looking at him here I feel like I just might be in the middle of a conversation with him, as well…
21 vikki // Mar 8, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Hi Sarah- I do talk to all my paintings as I’m working on them. Thank goodness none have ever answered! That might give reason to give up art. (I’m presently conversing with a sun art piece. lol)
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