Oprah, CLIR2023.358

Date

8/1/2012

Medium

Color Stix on paper

Dimensions

27.5 × 19.75 in

Categories

DrawingsColor Stix

Visual description

Marion Bolton uses color stick, which is a mix between a color pencil and pastel, on paper to draw a portrait of Oprah that fills two-thirds of the paper, oriented in a vertical portrait layout. The background is a vivid, solid red-orange color that fills the entire paper. She is drawn from her mid-torso line to the top of her head. Oprah's right shoulder is slightly higher than her left one, suggesting a slight lean in her stance. She is looking directly out at us with large, wide, oval eyes. Dark lines extend around both eyes, representing eyelashes, and she has lovely, thick eyebrows. Her nose appears wide at the top as it is drawn, starting from the corners of the eyes and then narrowing slightly toward the tip, which curves into a W shape. Oprah's skin tone is a dark tan mixed with a slightly reddish-brown, which rhymes with the vivid red-orange background of the entire portrait. Her mouth is slightly open and wide, filling almost the entire width of the face with red lips and little teeth exposed. It is not quite a smile. It appears that she is speaking directly at us. She has solid black hair that neatly frames her round forehead. The shoulder-length hair flows down both sides of her face, but we see a larger section of it cascade down the left side. Oprah is wearing a vibrant, hot pink one-piece outfit that has similarities to a bodysuit or a one-piece bathing suit with short sleeves and a low, square neckline. The bottom of the outfit appears like a one-piece bathing suit, leaving the hips or thighs exposed. The pink clothing extends between them, and then the clothing and her legs disappear and meet the red background. There are a few dark seam lines that appear on the outfit that either suggest layers or design, but the color of the fabric is a continuous hot pink color. Oprah's slight lean and intense stare makes her appear intently focused on us, the viewer, with a relaxed expression, perhaps waiting for us to respond to a comment that she has just made.

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