The Black Madonna and Obama

Title:The Black Madonna and Obama
Artist: Judy Vars
Medium: Oil
Size: 16" X 20"
Price: 500.00
One of the most sacred icons of the Catholic Church is the Black Madonna and Christ child. Statues representing her are in Europe's most venerated shrines and cathedrals. My Black Madonna looks something like Oprah and the baby is a representation of Obama. My icon of these two icons is a contemporary peek into a spirutal window. My painting may be a little tongue in cheek, but was definitely not meant to be sacreligious.
The Black Madonna is worth getting to know she calls us to our depths, to living spiritually and radically on this planet and not superficially and unthinkingly. She calls us to enter into the depths of our pain, suffering and shared grief—not to run from it or cover it up with a myriad of addictions ranging from shopping to drugs and alcohol and superficial religion. She calls us to the depths of our creativity and to entertain the images that are born in and through us. And she calls us to the depths of transformation, of social, economic, gender, racial and eco justice and the struggle that must be maintained to carry on solidarity with the oppressed of any kind. The archetype of the Black Madonna is relevant today and Obama has been taken under her wing.


How to Buy: I accept checks, cash, and credit cards via PayPal. The latter is probably the easiest method -- and safest for both parties. If you would like to have my "Black Madonna and Obama" please send me an e-mail that includes your request, your mailing address, and most importantly, your e-mail address. I will then send an invoice to your e-mail address, and we go from there. Giclee prints will be made available.

VOTE Bad Obama Painting #1 or Bad Obama Painting #2

Vote now for the Baddest Obama Painting #1 Obama and the Flag or #2 Oprah and Obama.

Have you seen the nut in Palmer and he stands on the intersection between the Glenn and Palmer-Wasilla Hwy with a picture of Obama with a Hitler moustache?
I support his right to free speech that's what our Constitution grants us, so use it!
Obama's popularity is down a little bit 41% and folks are getting more comfortable with a "Black President". 
I personally love him and think he is the greatest thing since President Lincoln and President Kennedy.
Obama is my new Facebook Friend.

Sa RAH

SARAH PALIN

Encaustic Beeswax Painting

(after Fayum Mummy Portraits)

12' X 16"

NFS

Judy Vars

The Fayum Mummy Portraits were found in the fertile Nile region known as Fayum, these ancient necropolises contained literally thousands of these ancient portraits. These paintings offer a rare glimpse into the personalities of people that lived in the time of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony. These effigies have remarkably withstood  thousands of years of extreme heat and cold. The fertile Nile Delta known as Alexandria was a mix of Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. These Fayum Mummy Portraits are painted in the classical Greek style upon thin birch wood panels. The mummies are wrapped and preserved with Egyptian techniques and Roman in their social content.

I have painted Sarah according to the Greek school i.e. palette which contains only four colors; white, yellow ochre, red ochre and black and then painted with encaustic beeswax and embellished with gold leaf.

They were painted life size and probably painted while the person was still alive then added to the mummy casing after death. All my portraits all share one common element with their ancient cousins and that is their hypnotic gaze which seems to suspend them in the eternal present. The mystery of the Fayum portraits has captured my imagination; no one knows for sure their dating, origin or their true function.

For years I have been in love with icons, the spiritual aspect and the everyday aspect of icons. I ask myself questions like; what makes an “icon”? When somebody emerges into the social fabric of our society there image is everywhere and their personality is part of our shared experience (unless you live under a rock). We love to hate our icons. Is luck, fame and fortune as random as winning the lottery or getting hit by a truck or is it divine? Sure talent and hard are usually necessary but there are millions of talented people (myself for example) who will be as forgotten as if they never lived in a couple of generations.

I am making a gallery of modern icons "The Hall of the Famous the Infamous and the Obscure" if you have any ideas let me know. My previous icon was Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra and Martha Sanchez as Frida.  See below, You get the idea.

Your critique, ideas and comments are always appreciated the painting can always be reworked and improved upon, that’s the beauty of encaustic wax.
http://cabinfeverinalaska.blogspot.com/2010/11/angelena-jolie-as-cleopatra.html
http://cabinfeverinalaska.blogspot.com/2010/09/martha-sanchez-as-frida-kalho.html
http://cabinfeverinalaska.blogspot.com/search?q=Oprah+and+Obama

Today I left the house after more than a week of minus 20 temperatures.

I am the peoples choice for January at the Firefly Gallery, 419 L Street in Anchorage. this means I get the front porch for my very own display for a month.
So I drove in to Anchor Town and put up, ta, ta, ta, taaaaa drum roll please.
Oprah As The Black Madonna and Obama or the Shrine of the Black Madonna.This section of town is becoming a real art district like So-Ho Anchorage style, hip cool people living and working downtown and frequenting hip cool establishments like the Firefly Gallery and the Snow City Cafe. The people when they walk past will see this Icon staring back at them. It's timely with the inauguration coming up this month and changes afoot. This display might be somewhat controversial (I hope).
I've seen some peoples reactions to what they perceive to be religious and political and irreverent all at once. I hope this icon gets lots of attention, hee hee hee.

Go See It In Person; @ the Firefly Gallery 419 L Street across from the Simon and Seaforts and the Arctic Rose.

An opportunity to manifest hope through your art http://www.manifesthope.com/contest.html