Travelling in Electric Prisms

If Electric Prisms were a place, it would be........

RIO!!!

Sonia Delaunay's Electric Prisms

Ipad rendering of Sonia Delaunay's Electric Prisms

This weeks painting is the beautiful Electric Prisms by the ever prolific Sonia Delaunay. Here is my Ipad rendition of the painting. She was a painter, an interior designer, a furniture designer, and a fashion designer. All of her work was informed by one idea, that of Geometric Abstraction. She used geometric shapes as a way to create the most non-objective abstractions. She once said of her husband, Robert Delaunay, who painted very similar abstractions, that " In Robert Delaunay I found a poet. A poet who wrote not with words but with colours." Isn't that a wonderful idea? Creating poems with color is dreamy. I believe that is exactly what Mrs. Delaunay did herself.

Interpretations of Chagall's Flowers

Petals, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

It was very fun being limited to Chagall's palette this week. I believe limitations like that make for a better creative experience. I often do this with my students or my son to force them to think only of what they're making and not worry so much about choice. Sometimes choices lead to confusion.

I've definitely simplified the elements of Chagall's Flowers. Some radiating forms, loose lines, and organic shapes. You'll notice I really only focused on the flower part of the painting and completely ignored the bird and the couple. I just didn't find those parts as interesting to explore. The expressionist forms are much more exciting to me.

Swirling, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Waves, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Blue Form, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

copyright Gio Leung, 2013

Another wonderful interpretation from Gio. He enjoys color very much, as you can see here. With kids his age it's hard to keep them from using every color in the paint box, particularly at the same time. I gave him two colors at a time which helped prevent him from making "mud". The masking helps create a little bit of form. I helped him with the masking, but everything else is his alone.

Dressing in Chagall's Flowers

Chagall's Flowers by ninamleung featuring oliver peoples sunglasses

Floral print dress / Band of Outsiders jean jacket / Madewell / Kate Spade / Gem jewelry / Oliver Peoples sunglasses

Can't you just imagine wearing this while exploring the Russian countryside? I was inspired by the post on the Latvian countryside as well as the film The Last Station about Leo Tolstoy.

Marc Chagall's Flowers in the Natural World

Aren't these simple blue flowers beautiful? They were photographed in my front yard. I love the simplicity and vibrant color. The two below are also from the garden and more closely remind me of Chagall's flowers with their long petals, delicate curls, and fine lines.

Objects inspired by Marc Chagall's Flowers

These are a few objects that are inspired by Chagall's Flowers. There's my journal from our trip to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland on the right. The atomizer is from Anthropologie. The blue flower amulet is from my lovely sister-in-law which she got in Egypt (I think it's made of egyptian paste). Above that is a sweet drawing my sister Teresa did for a birthday book she made for me. Next is a book cover from an old Reader's Digest anthology. All of this is on top of a blouse I bought in China.

Travelling in Chagall's Flowers

If Marc Chagall's Flowers were a place it would be.........

the Latvian countryside!

These photos are from the countryside outside Riga, Latvia. The house is Rundale Palace, a baroque palace built in the 1700s. I like to imagine any of the Dukes of Courland and family picnicking on the grounds.

Marc Chagall's Flowers

Flower Still Life Ipad Redo, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Marc Chagall's work is so expressive. In his Flower Still Life, that I recreated above, his Fauvist background really comes through. He understood the importance of expressing emotion through color and lightly abstracted forms. His paintings have a dream-like quality which comes from the recognizable objects and forms, but he only uses them as compositional objects. They could tell a story, but that was not necessarily his intention. His paintings are very expressive.

I love this particular work for the arrangement of color and quick, seemingly wild brushstrokes, and the rhythm of the leaves and flowers.

Interpretations of Niki de Saint Phalle

Buried Forms, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

I concentrated on creating works that had a lot of white, contrast, and organic shapes. The basic elements of the work of  Niki de Saint Phalle are here as well as some additions from the inspirations I found this week.

Orchid Forms, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Here are the orchids from the Natural Wonders post. I promised to try making a painting (this is pastel, actually) based on those beautiful spotted orchids. The petals are simplified and made into forms, but I kept the coloring and loose symmetry.

Glass Snake, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

This snake could be a copy of one of Niki de Saint Phalle's sketches for her perfume bottle. I really love that perfume bottle. Wouldn't this design make a beautiful stained glass window?

Hollow Form, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

I had to do something more sculptural. Niki de Saint Phalle did so many sculptures of Nana. This watercolor is a simple form that looks sculptural.

A Maze Lava, copyright Gio Leung, 2013

A work by the amazing Gio. My 3.5 year old son taped a piece of paper to a table, masked lines on it and colored in the empty spaces with oil pastels. This was after looking at some Niki de Saint Phalle works in the book Niki de Saint Phalle.

Dressing in the World of Niki de Saint Phalle

A Picnic with Niki de Saint Phalle by ninamleung featuring print dresses

Milly print dress, $695 / Envy Footwear slip on shoes / Anya Hindmarch beach tote / Oscar de la Renta rose jewelry, $210 / Collection XIIX floppy beach hat / Monki , $13

Can't you just see Niki de Saint Phalle in this get up? It's so French and so whimsical and so spring. It so reminds me of the movie May Fools by Louis Malle. Renting a large French cottage in the country with a large group of friends and family, picnicking underneath massive oaks and enjoying good weather and food. What a perfect way to spend a warm, spring afternoon.

Travelling in the World of Niki de Saint Phalle

If Niki de Saint Phalle's Flowers were a place, it would be......

Provence, France!

The Wonderful World of Niki de Saint Phalle

Ipad rendering of Niki De Saint Phalle's Nana Aux Fleurs, 1971

I LOVE Niki de Saint Phalle. She was a strong, powerful woman with a unique, whimsical vision. Her incredibly feminine "Nana" are some of my favorite works. They were inspired by a pregnant friend and she enjoyed them so much she kept making them in many different materials, positions, and inspirations.

Many years ago, I read her wonderful biography Traces which gave me more insight into her life and passions. She was a feminist and a woman who knew what she wanted and made it happen. I am so excited to go back into her world and revisit all that she experienced and created.

Interpretations of Rousseau

Swirling Green, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Rousseau's tropical atmosphere is fun to mimic and interpret as my own. I loved using rich colors and a lot of greens. Just as Rousseau does, I wanted to make everything look fertile and juicy and rich. That's what I was going for. My 3.5 year old son, Gio got involved as well, making a Rousseau-inspired collage. He enjoys making art with me!

Nourishing Leaves, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Rousseau's Blooms, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Linked Leaves, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Feathered Tropics, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Rousseau's Collage, copyright Gio Leung, 2013