“Royal Growl” (left) and “Son of Can” are two pieces that will be on display.
In 1900, L. Frank Baum wrote a children’s novel. In 1902, it became a musical play with original tunes by Paul Tietjens. And in 1939 Metro-Goldwyn Mayer produced the self proclaimed “Technicolor Triumph!” titled The Wizard of Oz.
On Wednesday, September 5th, from 5PM to 11PM, Long Beach resident and children’s book illustrator Arlene Booth debuts “The Wonders of Oz,” an ironic and whimsical artistic interpretation of her favorite classic American story.
The exhibition, hosted by 4th Street’s Art du Vin, consists of fifteen original works ranging from “Tallest Man” featuring a munchkin on stilts, to “Son of Can” a reimagining of The Tin Man as the apple hidden mystery man from Rene Magritte’s “Son of Man.”
Arlene begins with a tight and delicate graphite drawing, and much like the Technicolor colorization of the original movie, adds color using acrylic wash, creating a traditional illustration with soft color and high level of detail.
In “Royal Growl,” Arlene has replaced the MGM lion with the Cowardly Lion, framed the work in an ornate rococo gold frame, and replaced the words with “Not Queen, Not Duke, Not Prince… King of the Forest.” Classy and elegant, this is a standout piece from the show, and is complimented nicely by Art du Vin’s exposed brick wall.
“The Wizard of Oz is by far my favorite movie,” Arlene says. “I had it on repeat while I was working on the exhibition, I must have seen it hundreds of times, and it still hasn’t gotten old.”
She is right. There is something magical about the dynamic between the visuals, casting, and story of the classic film, and the artwork in “The Wonders of Oz” examines, expounds and visually encapsulates you in that world.
“The Wonders of Oz” opens Wedndesday, September 5 at Art Du Vin, located at 2027 E. 4th St.