About
Christina Major is a portrait painter interested in the ways the identity of both artist and subject can coexist in a painting. Major's current creative research focuses on the traditional form of the portrait as a powerful form of representing an individual and how meaning can be expanded through scale, brushstroke, color, texture, composition, and the many variables that portraiture deals with.
This one-of-a-kind oil painting is 77.5 inches tall and 64.5 inches wide. It is signed by Major on the back. The artwork is wired and ready to hang. It does not require framing. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable Continental U.S. and International shipping are also available. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included.
Major expands the traditional portrait painting by cataloging her memories and thoughts along with the thoughts of the subject - at times recording quotes from the person depicted - by painting under, into and over the subject in her handwriting. Major’s “hand” is visible both in the brushstroke and in the cursive writing, preserving her identity in a “readable” way both literally and through graphology, or handwriting analysis.
Major's paintings are created with oil on gesso primed canvas. Her portraits feel overwhelming and have a “larger-than-life” presence that cannot be ignored. The large scale also creates a different “reading” of the painting depending on the viewing distance. Up close, areas may be read abstractly due to the emphasis on defined brush strokes, dabs of energetic color, and texture that is formed by the cursive text. From far away, the image coalesces from the fragmented strokes and layers of writing, drawing focus to the likeness of the subject painted.
Text incorporated into this original painting: Marilyn - A Wise Girl (Norma Jeane)
A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none. A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left. I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love. I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always believe in yourself because If you don't, then who will sweetie? You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about for business of living. Fear is stupid. So are regrets
