Living in Message from Degas

Living in Message From Degas by ninamleung featuring Ethan Allen

Heathfield Co gold leaf table lamp, $915 / 1882 Ltd white dinnerware / Eva Solo kitchenware dining, $82 / Ethan Allen throw pillow / Diptyque black candle / Kelly Wearstler accent chair / Fornasetti accent table, $4,925 / Traditional furniture

I haven't used enough black in my house. It can act as a highlighter or a space definer. I've been especially inspired by this Design Sponge post on using black paint. Helen Frankenthaler uses a lot of black in Message from Degas. It creates a beautiful contrast with the yellowish "river". That contrast creates a starkness that is so like Turpan, hence the desert-inspired home goods I discovered for this post. 

Dressing in Message for Degas

Dressing in Message for Degas by ninamleung featuring Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen dress / 10 Crosby Derek Lam black sandals / Cynthia Rowley black purse / Just Cavalli safari jewelry / Acne Studios black sunglasses / Floppy hat / Oasis red shawl, $20 / Black nail polish, $14

In Turpan, one needs a good, wide brimmed hat and a comfortable pair of sandals. The heat is dry and almost suffocating. Being on the Silk Road feels so exotic and so foreign. The film, The English Patient captures that same, transporting feeling. So much of it is set in the desert, in a foreign land, with much to discover.

The dark accessories paired with a slash of a khaki dress is much like the Frankenthaler painting, Message from Degas. That darkness is like a cool river running through the desert.

Travelling in Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

If Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas were a place, it would be.........

Turpan, China!

Turpan is a smallish city (by China standards!) located on the Silk Road in the Gobi Desert. It is a very dry, barren place with a harsh landscape. The photo above reminds me so much of Message from Degas. The smooth, stark surface interrupted by the organic flow of the river. 

The area surrounding Turpan is agricultural, focusing on grapes and melons. They are known for their raisins which are dried in huts like the one above. The raisins are so full of flavor and there are many varieties. I can easily say they were the best I've ever eaten.

Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

Ipad Rendering  of Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

A painting by the wonderful Helen Frankenthaler. She was an Abstract Expressionist who specialized in Color Field painting. Her work is so beautiful and thoughtful. My attraction to her work is in it's similarities to watercolor paintings. She uses oil paint in a very fluid way. She began a new technique where she would stain the unprimed canvas by pouring paint on it, allowing the canvas to soak it in. What a fun way to paint!