Pinup Witches, Volume I

Welcome to the very first Witchy Wednesday!  This beautiful enchantress may seem a little out of place sitting on a stool in what looks like an artist's workshop.  There's a good reason for her surroundings, but first...

This model is Marilyn Hanold.  She was born in New York in 1938 into a rather large family of six children.  Cashing in on her hauntingly good looks, Marilyn starred in a number of film productions in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the B-level favorite, The Brain That Wouldn't Die.  She was even named Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month for June 1959.  And as we can see below, she was also the model for pinup artist, Gil Elvgren!

Photo study for Gil Elvgren

The painting below was painted from the photograph of Marilyn in 1958 and entitled Riding High. Elvgren was a prolific pinup artist throughout the 1940s into the 1960s.  This is a wonderful piece of American culture and an excellent salute to the sexy witch!

Riding High (1958) by Gil Elvgren