Life is a Highway Canvas Art by Chris Tutty - Marilyn Monroe

Life is a Highway
Artist: Chris Tutty
Dimensions: 30 x 40 inches

What if Marilyn Monroe had never died in 1962?

In Life is a Highway, Chris Tutty imagines a different 1963 — one where Marilyn’s story didn’t end so abruptly, but instead continued on a winding road of freedom, fame, and fragility.

The scene unfolds at a lonely Texaco station along Route 66. Marilyn stands partially hidden behind her brand-new split-window ’63 Corvette, sneaking a quiet cigarette. It’s a rare, unguarded moment, one that hints at the chaos beneath her polished Hollywood image. On the hood of the car, her belongings — a red handbag, a bottle of Coke, a compact — are scattered carelessly, symbols of a life constantly in motion, never fully unpacked, never fully settled.

At her feet sits Maf, short for Mafia, the small white dog gifted to her by Frank Sinatra. His name itself is a nod to the darker, more complicated world of Hollywood power players and secrets. In the painting, Maf sits on the curb, not on the car, looking almost sorrowful — perhaps knowing a truth Marilyn herself can’t face.

The cracked windshield tells another story. It speaks of turbulence, of unseen collisions, of how even the most beautiful things carry scars. It’s a metaphor for Marilyn herself — outwardly glamorous, inwardly fragile.

In the corner of the painting, a single white rose lies on the ground. Marilyn famously adored white roses. Did it blow off the hood into the night air as she sped down the highway, or did she discard it herself, a symbol of love lost or innocence left behind? The ambiguity leaves room for the viewer’s own interpretation.

Behind it all, faintly glowing in the distance, is the iconic Hollywood sign. It’s not the glamorous beacon of dreams here, but a faded reminder of the very machine that built Marilyn up and eventually broke her down.

The subtle nod to Musso & Frank, Hollywood’s oldest restaurant and once the place where directors wined and dined rising starlets, adds yet another layer. This was the stage on which roles were won, deals were made, and reputations destroyed. It was the heartbeat of old Hollywood — and a world Marilyn knew all too well.

Perhaps the deepest irony lies in the title itself: Life is a Highway. Maybe when we leave this world, we get to travel an endless road, carefree and happy, forever chasing new adventures.

And fittingly, Route 66 — America’s most iconic highway — ends in Santa Monica, California, where the road simply fades into the Pacific. A perfect metaphor for fame and life itself: no matter how fast we drive or how far we travel, every journey eventually reaches its end. Like Route 66, Marilyn’s story remains etched in history, part of a past that shaped the present but now lives on only in memory and myth.

ORIGINAL WORKS (SOLD)

Each Original painting is unique and a one of a kind creation. A great amount of time and detail goes into each piece of art from hand painted brush strokes in acrylic and oil medium, to the unique art of airbrushing done with only the best of paints, Createx Auto -Air Colors and House of Kolors Automotive Paint. Aspects of geological layering almost like sedimentary rock are imparted with mixed mediums such as metallics, gold and silver flaking, the introduction of coppers and iron magnesium’s in fine powder as well as glass resins, pearls and industrial candy coats as seen on high end automobiles. Certain master pieces also use elements of sculpture with molding paste, crackling and organic material to highlight low and high points in the picture creating a dimensional embossed image which leaps off the canvas.

 ARTIST PROOFS

With the addition of all these materials and techniques in the Original, you may ask, what does an Artist Proof look like and how does it differ from the Original painting? Due to this unique style of artwork, normal prints are no even an option. An Artist Proof is painted in the same manner as an Original and all of the above techniques mentioned in the Original are imparted in the Artist Proofs with one exception. Artist proofs are derived from the original image. The original is professionally photographed by Rob Ryan of Render DC prior to its completion. The artist proof file is digitally remastered with a spectrometer and color balanced to lead to the next step. It is then printed and stretched on canvas providing a mapping for the new proof. This is called a archial pigment print. The stretched canvas is then re-airbrushed in order to retain the true vibrant colors of the original. Molding paste, pearls, metal flakes, candies, and neon paints are incorporated, and then sealed with glass resins. The Artist Proof equals the Original. The Proof is of the same quality but has expressive variations. Essentially it is a new painting based on the Original. The price point of the Artist Proof can be marketed with substantial savings, thus provides the consumer access to a truly unique piece of art.

11 inch by 14 inch Metal  Prints Limited Numbered Edition

Create a unique addition to any home or office with a sleek metal panel infused with your favorite image. All Metal Prints feature a glossy coating and rounded edges for a clean, beautiful display. Every piece comes with a sturdy fixture for wall-mounting.

8 inch by 10 inch Dye-Sublimation prints Limited Numbered Edition

Fine art photo printing on metal or what is known as metal prints is a relatively new industry. So what are metal prints? Simply put, metal prints are images printed on aluminum. But it is vastly more complicated than that. The secret is how the printing is done. Most photo prints are simply ink jet printers on a piece of canvas or other paper material. The print material fades, cannot be cleaned easily, and of course must be framed.

Fine art metal printing uses a technique called dye sublimation. Dye sublimation means that inks are turned into a vapor or gas, before they turn into a liquid.

Dye sublimation is a digital print technology that allows the reproduction of full color images on a variety of surfaces. Dye sublimation on hard surface is possible because the surfaces have been coated using an innovative manufacturing process that provides high-definition, durable photo panels that preserve images for generations. Instead of printing images directly on a surface, which may scratch easily, the image is infused into the coating to provide permanent protection and durability.

 8 inch by 10 inch Art Resin Block Prints Limited Numbered Edition

Art resin blocks are a unique and personal way to showcase art. Each art block is a professional digitally remastered photo of the original art which is mounted to a pine wood 8 inch by 10 inch canvas block and then coated with a lifetime ultraviolet protective called Artresin which appears as a type of sold glass and enhances the work of art. Only two hundred and fifty prints of each Image are created.

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