SECOND SURGERY • Lilly
marker on paper
This haunting portrait encapsulates the upended existence of a woman emerging victorious from her cancer treatment. The hat has become an icon used by the artist as a symbol of perseverance and grit. In a recent lecture, she explained, “ Women may give up their hair, but they never give up their beauty.”
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MAKING MONEY | MAKING CENTS • Lilly
mixed media • 6.14” x 2.61”
The mission of this soon-to-be-famous artist is to make the world more beautiful. In this extraordinary collage, the artist has mixed jewels, a variety of heavily saturated translucent colors, along with a self-portrait of herself as George Washington’s replacement, and blackened edges reminiscent of printer’s ink. Lilly’s work offers hidden surprises. The serial number of the bill is surrounded by the letters L at the front and J at the end (LJ are her initials). You will also note she has split “The United States of America” into separate red and blue areas, alluding to the divided politics. The artist is telling us that despite the chaos, conflict, and intolerance, we can still make something beautiful.
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MUSICAL MATHEMATICS • Presley
paper collage
This is the most recent collage in the artist’s series of her exploration into the relationship between the aesthetic qualities of mathematics and music in humanity’s multi-dimensional reality, of which she includes love as the core dimension represented by friendship and karaoke in the central image. Presley’s use of color and pattern maintain both the opposing contrasts and harmony of music as an expression of mathematics. She has chosen purple to convey the propitious nature of geometric topological constructs. Her use of golden hues is an homage to both The Golden Mean and Goldbach’s conjecture.
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COGNITIVE INCLINE: A SELF-PORTRAIT • Mary
marker on paper
The artist’s provocative Incline Theory has shaken the pillars of global geriatric care. The theory maintains as you lose your youth, you also lose your hair and your fashion sense. You don’t waste time coloring all the white spaces, or even using your arms. Your buttons are just for show and your work is no longer manual. Rather, your new purpose is the sacred and vibrant task of shedding all your multi-dimensional junk and focusing on the meaning of 42 until you ascend. Once your nose turns blue and you only talk out of the side of your mouth, you are finally done. (Publishers Note: The Incline Theory has not been peer reviewed).
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FINDING TREASURE • Presley
watercolor and marker on paper
This painting, the first in a series of art maps by the artist, has become an instant cultural phenomenon. It blends the iconic style elements of treasure maps with the serenity associated with the actual locale where the very real treasure is buried. The fourth in the series was recently sold at auction by Christie's for $1.8 million dollars due to the alleged value of the alleged treasure. Numerous foreign bidders are lobbying the State Department for permission to bid on this priceless American artifact. If they succeed, the bidding will be out of reach for all but the deepest pockets. The reserve on this exceptional piece is set at $8.76.
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