I painted briefly from 1967 to 1971 and then never picked up a paintbrush again until 1983 when I started painting to try and break a horrible case of writer’s block. Everything I painted during these early years was a copy of images in ads, album covers, Playbills and posters.
1971 – New York City
In my apartment on 76th St. ‘playing’ the piano (I still don’t know how to play) underneath a painting I made of Black George Washington. I’m pretty sure I stole the image off a poster.
1968 – Madison, Wisconsin
I made this 6′ paper mache Alvin The Chipmunk for my sorority’s homecoming float at the University of Wisconsin in the image of Bucky Badger, the school’s mascot. i kept it for years but finally had to throw it away when it started smelling.
One of a series of “Color Me…” paintings I made in 1967 for each one of my nieces and nephews. I was so excited about achieving a near perfect likeness I made a Color Me Allee for me. It’s unfortunate the photograph makes it impossible to see how massively off it is.
“Color Me…” inspiration – “Color Me Barbra” album cover
There’s no question that Bubbles’ the artist’s sales policy of only selling copies of the original painting which she keeps was inspired by my only painting copies of popular images in my early period.
Fiddler inspiration – “Fiddler On The Roof” album cover
Framed – “Fiddler On The Willis Roof”
Perhaps the piece de resistance of my earliest paintings, a velvet rendition of the “Fiddler On The Roof” album cover
Detail – “Fiddler On The Willis Roof”
Detail – “Fiddler On The Willis Roof”
1967
“Man of La Mancha” poster and Playbill
1967
My rip off of the “Man of La Mancha” poster and Playbill
Acrylic on canvasboard, 1967.
I’m pretty sure this was from an ad in Look Magazine
God only know where I saw this image but I evidently was charmed enough by to copy it.
1967 “Love is Everywhere ’67”
An early picture of me holding a soul vinyl record.
The Sensational Sig Delts –
“I Dreamt I Come As An Oldie But Goodie”
Sigma Delta Tau – Formal Invitation
“Smokers ’67” The influence this 1967 piece had on Bubbles’ the artist is undeniable. The same chubby deformed hands and big misshapen lips and noses. It’s hard to see, but the psychedelic smoke from the joints produces a nude couple.
©1999 Allee Willis. All Rights Reserved.
