The King and I.

I was about 11 and living in Singapore when Elvis died in 1977. I remember reading an article in the morning paper about a local teenage girl who had thrown herself out of a balcony of a tall apartment building, leaving a note that said something like "now that Elvis is dead, I have nothing to live for and goodbye." This had a profound impact on me and I realized then, that Elvis was a very powerful man.
elvis painting elvis painting Elvis Paintings.

I am fascinated by velvet Elvis paintings. The way they are painted as well as what they symbolize as objects. I wanted to be an Elvis painter for a while.
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elvis painting elvis painting elvis painting elvis paintings elvis painting elvis painting The Elvis Series.

I painted my first Elvis in 1994 while a student at Art Center College of Design, in California. In 1996, I was engaged to be married but had to leave the United States (I am Japanese, and I was at the time on a student visa) and return to Tokyo until I got my "fiance visa." As I waited for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to issue a "fiance visa," I decided to focused only on painting Elvis until I was granted the visa. 7 months later, I got my visa and had a whole bunch of Elvis paintings. This I call my Elvis series.
elvis painting elvis painting elvis painting elvis painting elvis painting elvis painting
elvis painting elvis painting
elvis painting elvis painting
Epilogue.

Now, I feel satisfied that I did my share to create more Elvis paintings and have really no plans to paint Elvis again.

The End.

Update 081702 - Changed my mind . . . the Elvis 2002 series!

BONUS: 4 pre-series elvis paintings