"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (War Is Over)"

Artist: Alice McMahon White
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Card: US$4.66

"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (War Is Over)"

This image was featured on the Redbubble Home Page! Thanks Redbubble!

Pastel painting on Kitty Wallis sanded pastel paper. From a photo shopped photographic reference shot I took of my daughter.

My daughter and model dragged me along to an antiwar march in DC this past St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2007. Best parade I was ever in on the day! That march really influenced my work and “Lucy” was painted a month after the experience. The photo reference was taken at Kent State University when we were visiting my son for homecoming. My daughter was standing on the hill where the shootings had taken place in 1970, I saw the shot, and captured her as she really was, crazy Halloween top hat and the balloon she’d Christened “Tuesday” with a sharpie marker. I reversed the puffy white clouds in photo shop to create a smoky haze of “War Is Over” clouds. The white outline around the figure was a remnant of the photoshop effect. I liked the surreal quality of that so I kept it for the “LSD” Beatles factor. The piece is framed in an old 70’s frame and studded with plastic rhinestones. ;-)

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”

Additional information from my myspace blog:

I’ve been getting some questions about this piece, I suppose because it’s a bit of a departure for me. More surreal or psychedelic than my usual work. Part of that is intentional as a reflection of the nature of the Beatles tune which influenced the work. John Lennon always denied that the song referred to LSD, and was really inspired by Julian’s childish drawing of a girl flying in the sky. Appropriate that this pastel is inspired by my daughter’s personality. It shows her progression toward adulthood, which is the underlying theme of my White Album series.

This work began as a candid snapshot of my artsy daughter at 16. We were visiting my son at Kent State U, Ohio, for Homecoming. She was really wearing the cheap top hat around campus that day, she had gotten it for her Halloween costume. The Kent Homecoming committee were passing out the balloons and she took one, and for some reason decided to name it “Tuesday” and wrote that on the balloon with a sharpie. It was a windy day with large puffy white clouds, and she was standing on the hill where the Kent State Massacre had occured. This is an important detail about my thought process for the piece, as the tragic event happened in May 1970 – the year the Beatles broke up, and around the time John Lennon began his life with Yoko and did the Baggism, Bed-In and “War Is Over” song and campaign.

I saw the shot that day as she stood on the hill, and my daughter held the pose for just a moment. She hates when I take her photo – but she’s so damn quirky and cute I can’t resist! I got down low to have only the sky for a backdrop. Her expression is actually more resigned exasperation with me than anything deeper. Somehow her signature stoicism works.

I played with the image in photoshop and liked the sky reversed, with darks where the whites had been. The blue sky turned the opposite on the color wheel, “marmalade” colored. The white outline is a remnant from the photoshop effect I was using, and since she was backlit in the original photo, I thought it was cool, and again, a bit surreal. The balloon was really blue, but the effect reversed that, too. It’s not meant to be realistic. I had just watched “John Lennon vs. the US” at the time and thought I’d add the words “War Is Over” to the balloon, as a flashback to the 1970’s and a hopeful premonition for today. “War is over Tuesday” may have worked as well ;) My daughter is an activist against the war and while she doesn’t like her likeness here, she does like the message.

The flowers on the balloon could be a reference to “cellophane flowers of yellow and green towering over your head” but that didn’t occur to me til today :)

My friends have been interpreting this piece in different ways. One wondered if the balloon is her hallucination. Another says the clouds are post-war colors. I like that.

~ A

"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (War Is Over)" belongs to the following groups:

1 on 1: The Fine Art of Portraiture , * Painted Ladies *, ! 100% !, Alt, Contemporary Pastel Painters (2 per day), Contemporary Professional Painters and Sculptors, Fine Arts, Live, Love, Dream: , PEACE, LOVE & TRANQUILITY and Realist Traditional Art Available for sale as

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"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (War Is Over)" by Alice McMahon White

brianjarvis

YOUR PORTFOLIO IS AMAZING…....GREAT TALENT.

I have a piece similarly titled…...without the diamonds.?

Great work.
modernlifeform

yay! your on the front page :)

good work :D
Scott Ruhs

Congrats on being featured on the home page! Well done! Excellent image!
Rudschinat

intresting, love your work
Alice McMahon ...

Wow! The RedBubble community is super fantastic! I’ve only been part of this for 3 days now, and I can’t keep up with the comments. Hope to thank each of you in person soon. You’re the greatest!
David White

This is stunning , charmed by its beauty , great painting
dogbreath

very nice! I thought this was painting at first… I like the composition and the post processing you have done.. and hey, I live near KSU… should I be worried?!
dogbreath

ok i just looked agin… is this a painting based on a photo, or a photo with lots of photoshop artistically added?... either way, its very good!
Alice McMahon ...

All hand painted with pastel on sanded pastel paper, from a photographic reference I shot of my daughter, with a photoshop filter. :) Thanks!
NervousNellie

This is awesome work.
Al Bourassa

Well done!
Sean Farragher

fantastic work
Jena Ferguson

wonderful color expression. I love the power of this shot
Mistie McDonald

I really enjoyed ur whole album!!..your so very talented
Lisa Hill

really beautiful! Did you create the piece in photoshop first then recreate in pastel?? Really powerful image x
Lisa Hill

ooops forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS on front page heheh xxxx
pauldrobertson

masterful, tender and human work. truly evocative and beautiful.
Lisa Kenny

You’re gallery here is fantastic Alice ~ congratulations !
Antanas

perfect
Alyson Pearson

great work as always!
helene ruiz

very nice!
Christophe Testi

Amazing work!
ajreece

Absolutely beautiful work!!! Love everything about this piece!!!
ninamsc

WoW
kathywaldron

great finish!
AtaAlishahi

amazing work, I love your gallery :)
Mia1

STUNNING. Very beautiful
Ciska

congratz , amazing and beautiful
aspectsoftmk

you do great work…quite the eye..
Thornburgart

I love pastels, and the Beatles, I viewed your whole space excellent!
micmac

Fantastic portfolio you have ,brilliant work.Twice on home page ,you realy deserve it..bravo.
leo89

i really like this alot, has a deep meaning. How many views has it had?
Weshon Hornsby

This is an absolutely charming piece of fine art. I love the composition and style of this piece. There is great depth and dimension in this piece as well….Great job!!!
Alice McMahon ...

466 views as of today. 26 favoritings. I’ve been here a month. Is that good? Thanks everyone! My show is up right now, so have been too busy to be around much. Thanks for the kindness!
Birgitta

Yep. It’s a good thing. :)
Terrific job here, and that’s an understatement. I feel so silly trying
to do this justice with my piddly words. You are gifted. ;)
Alice McMahon ...

950! Views as of today?! What?
Walter Strength

Wow Alice wonderful composition. Use of color is exceptional. I can see that you have had a good color theory class. I need to get back into my illustrations. I miss it.
amberafternoon

Lovely work!
MEV Photographs

Awesome art…beautiful message, well done!
paulevelin

superb artwork
Alan Findlater

very nice work well done
Carlos Teófilo

You are fantastic. Congratulations.
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thank you Carlos! I’m amazed! :)
Anette Tyler

Fantastic work
Rachel Aponte

Beautiful work! You are very talented!
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks Rachel. Back at ya!
masqueHysteria

Alice you are amazing! You’re art so speaks to me. A very unique talent you have. Thank You for all your wonderful support!
I am always transported to a happier hippier time ;~D
Alice McMahon ... replied

Aw, thanks David. Great comment, and happy bubbling! You’ll be a natural here, with your beautiful combination of written word and images.
Irish

Love this!
kcranmer

Simply fantastic work!!!
Naturegirl

Terrific Card …

One you can send overseas to a loved one…:)
Alice McMahon ... replied

Haha! Thank you Naturegirl! Must figure out how to do that. Thanks for the PR. ;)
ToastedGhost

Brilliantly handled
I fear working with pastels
well done
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks ToastedGhost. Like that name by the way ;) Pastel is a bit tricky at first, but I prefer it over any other medium. Sanded pastel paper is fantastic!
alan sloey(im...

amazing portraits,...so lifelike
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks for stopping by, and for the compliment and favs!
Deb Gillett

Somehow I recognised that this is your daughter before reading the blurb. Love it! Curious to know if it reminds you of my work “Daughter Mine”- I think that was the mothering energy I felt straight away. Love your edginess.
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks Deb. I loved having the opportunity to paint her through all her artsy funky fazes. She wasn’t always thrilled at the time, but I think she kind of likes, at least respects, the series now. She’s going off to art school next year. I’m glad to have these paintings to keep me company ;) Heading over to have a look.
Joe Valcourt/M...

a very hopeful work well done
Lynsye Medalia

This one has always been a favorite of mine! :)
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks Lynsye! I appreciate you dropping in.
Alex LaGreca

this is trully special…i love this…good on you…your really talented
Alice McMahon ... replied

Let me guess, you are Australian! :) Thanks for your lovely comment. I’ll be by for a visit. ~ Alice
Alex LaGreca

how did you no…lol…thanks for the comments
Rayven

I’ve been looking through your portfolio and by reading you’re statement to this piece. I’m hooked. I love the butterfly series with the figures and a butterfly. You’re outstanding and an inspiration.
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks so much! I’ll drop over to see your work Raven.
Alice McMahon ... replied

Oops, Rayven. :)
colorblind

alice you are the gal for sure….lol
your art is amazing in every aspect
and i love it truly a portfolio to admire…..
Alice McMahon ... replied

:) You are very kind. Thanks again for taking time with the work colorblind.
Atheum

Awesome. What a magnificent way of associating your artwork with your children.
Alice McMahon ... replied

That’s so nice of you – thanks for taking time with the work. I’m on holiday now, will take more time with yours after I get home. xx
mikequigley

gtreat piece of work mq
Isa Rodriguez
Alice McMahon ... replied

Totally awesome Isa! Thanks!
maria paterson

great work, wonderful well considered subject, .love the backlighting and highlights in this. Ialso love to create works of my daughter,its like having a fabulous in house model, I hope she will still want to in her teenage years..
Alice McMahon ... replied

Thanks mariart! My daughter was most often reluctant – that’s why her hands cover her face in many of my portraits of her in the series :) She gave up hiding once she realized I’d paint her either way, and later in the series she cooperated and even collaborated with me! She’s a college art student herself now, and I’d still love to paint her, but I’m giving her, and my sons some space for the moment.

I really appreciate your comment, your work really speaks to my soul. Glad you’re sticking with your pastels! xx
Lynsye Medalia

So…..lady friend…..is there any way that you can put Lucy on a T-Shirt??!
Alice McMahon ... replied

Aw, thanks Lynsye. I think not though, my darn (very expensive!) camera doesn’t take high enough res images for the t’s here! :( I’m bummed, because it was one of the main reasons I joined the site.
Lynsye Medalia

Awww POO!!! You need a super awesome scanner!! LOL Some of my images are too small, but I just got some advice on how to change the pixels so it works. I just won an RB voucher and have been trying to decide what to buy with it…. :)
Lynsye Medalia

I just bought a card!!! :) I can’t wait to get her! :)
Alice McMahon ... replied

I thought that must be you :) Thanks so much Lynsye! xx
stephanie allison

Congrats! Your image placed in the TOP 10 in the Shades of Purple Painted Lady Challenge

♥
MaryK

I love the title- love the work and the song!
Alice McMahon ... replied

This one is hanging in my living room – my model daughter is off at art school – so it’s nice to have some of her portraits around. :) This is her true self at the time, about 3 years ago. A true artist! I love the Beatles too.