The Window Black and White - Original Sketch by Worley

Gaze through Marilyn’s eyes, past her own reflection and into the city streets. This is a complex pencil study for the painting yet to come...

Study it for a moment. Let your eyes wander. Now, can you picture it in color?

The sun is beginning to set. The light areas have a warm, golden glow and you can see the streetlight turning on down on the corner beyond Marilyn Monroe’s reflection. The sky begins to turn a deep blue in contrast to the warm orange of the sky scraper with the light of the setting sun. The colors in Marilyn’s dress dazzle the eyes as the children stand outside, looking in. Perhaps they’re wondering if the woman in the window is real or not?

I’ve studied reflections in windows for quite some time now. And the one thing that I have noticed is that the lighter colors come through the most, while the darker the color, the more easy it is to see through to the other side. On that note, the deep shadows of her reflection would be completely see-through and the brightest colors would glimmer.

It’s no wonder I haven’t finished the actual painting yet. I did get half way through the watercolor at one point. I had painted it on thick 300lb watercolor paper so I wouldn’t have to stretch it. The thicker paper could handle many, many layers of paint. Then, as it happens when an artist gets stuck or frustrated, I stopped painting on it for a time and set it aside. One night, I accidentally kicked it as I walked by and put a rip in the paper. I was a bit disappointed but thought that it could be a good thing as the final painting will undoubtedly become one of my masterpieces. The picture below was as far as I’d gotten. Obviously, it had a long way to go and I’m sure you can see where it needed some improvement.

When I picture it in my mind, the image is surreal in its beauty and complexity. It tugs at my soul like the warm, summer days of my youth, like the nostalgic memories of parties in the park or spending time beneath the trees with my family alongside a street as we watch a parade go by. It’s the kind of emotions attached to those memories that I like to evoke in my art.

And now, having acquired the skills I'd needed to see the vision through, we’ll finally have an idea of what it would like to be Marilyn Monroe for one brief moment in time.

The Window (Black and White) is also available in same size 18” x 24” limited edition prints.

* Ships within 2 business days

Below you can watch the creation of the computer illustration for the 3' x 4' oil painting I am now working on..