Picasso Exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW and my Inspiration for the Autumn/Winter Collection 2012

Last week I was in desperate need of some inspiration and motivation. My husband suggested that I visit the art gallery, and I remembered that there is a Picasso Exhibition on at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney. It was the perfect excuse to go!

I have to admit, I have never really been a huge fan of Picasso, and if given the choice, I would much rather see an exhibition on antiques, ceramics or classical paintings, rather than most modern artists. This being said, I still enjoyed seeing this exhibition, and since then it has given me some ideas!!!

I personally really enjoyed the brighter paintings, e.g. "Portrait of Dora Maar" (image below), where Picasso used lots of yellow, purple, red, green, blue, and heavy black outlines.



It just so happened that the outfit I was wearing that day was in very similar colours to this painting- so I guess it was meant to be that I would like this one!



Another painting I really enjoyed was "Large still-life on a pedestal table". Again because of its bright colours.




I have been thinking about my upcoming Autumn Winter 2012 Collection, and I think a little Picasso inspiration will be just the thing to blend with my Ballet Russe inspiration! I could imagine a lot of assymetrical lines, bright colours against black, and geometric shapes as my Picasso influence. Then I would add ideas of embroidery, trims, fur, and some special Russian vintage buttons that I have collected to the mix. I can't wait!!!

The images of the Picasso paintings in this post are from the Art Gallery NSW website. I encourage everyone who is interested in the creative arts to visit the exhibition while these masterpieces are close enough to our shores!

Paths to Abstraction Exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW

A market buddy, Naomi, and I decided to visit the Art Gallery of NSW yesterday. It is always nice to get some fresh inspiration, so when Naomi suggested this exhibit I didn't know what to expect, but I loved it!



The above images were taken from the Art gallery of NSW website. 1st image: Patrick Henry Bruce "Painting". 2nd image: Frantisek Kupka "Discs of Newton".

So many great artists and recognisable artworks in the one exhibition: Cezanne, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Malevich, Matisse, Mondrian, Monet, Munch, Picasso, Whistler. There are approx 40 different artist's work on display.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favourites:


Unfortunately this is the only image I could find on the web of the above artwork. It is by Sonia Delaunay, "Dancer, second version 1916". The colours and the proportions of these colours together are simply beautiful! I love using artworks to inspire my colour combinations, as artwork is already proof that the colours work together.

Naomi, who is the designer of Mae and Pearl, and she also designs her own prints, mentioned that she might use the above artwork as inspiration for a print. I hope she does! I would love it!!

Well worth the visit to see this in its real-life format.



Above, Robert Delaunay's "Nude woman reading". I LOVE the colours in this work too.


Naomi and I out the front of the art gallery. Such beautiful weather for mid winter!


There were many more artworks that I loved, so you will just have to visit the exhibit to see for yourself! Piet Mondrian's "Zomernacht", Andre Derain's "Banks of the Seine at Bougival", and Morgan Russell's "Four Part Synchromy, no 7" just to name a few.

Viewing this exhibit has given me a few ideas for my Summer collection, so I can't wait to start it!

Art Gallery of NSW: Archibald Prize and others

Yesterday, I visited the Art Gallery of NSW, to view the Archibald Prize.

I always enjoy this exhibition as you don't have to be an experienced art connoisseur or a psychoanalyst to get what is going on in the painting.

Please note the next three photographs are from the Archibald Prize website. You can view all of the finalists on this website.


The first one, is actually my favourite. By Yi Wang, "Bishop Elliott and Lady Jacqueline".

I guess I liked the story behind it. Wang had first envisaged painting the Bishop in a very formal position, but he wasn't getting the right feel for it. Then when they had lunch together, they were relaxed, and he got to see the Bishop's humorous and witty side, as well as his pet cat, Lady Jacqueline. Ok, so I do have a soft spot for cat's as well, but I think it is interesting to see the other world- the private world- in which the Bishop lives.



The second artwork: By Nafisa, "Glenn in black & white". This is the Winner of the Packing Room Prize. This is quite a big artwork, and once you see it in real life, you get to see all of the detail involved. Worthwhile to go and have a look if you get the chance.



Third artwork: By Sam Leach, "Tim Minchin". This is the Winner of the Archibald Prize. This is quite a small artwork, especially compared to all the others, but the detail is so tiny, that it really is a beautiful piece. It is painted on wood, and then has had resin applied, so when you look at it at first glance, it almost looks like it is made from a tile. I had never really seen this until yesterday, but then I realsied that there were quite a few artists that had used this technique. (shows you how often I get to visit the art galleries!)

The next few photos below, are photos which I have taken...

This next piece is quite amazing... "The Mild-Eyed Melancholy of the Lotus Eaters III 2009-10" by Raqib Shaw.




I LOVE the colours, the detail, the craziness of the whole thing! The photo above and below is just some of the detail of the whole artwork. The colours were intense, and diamantes were added to make it sparkle! It is placed in the foyer of the gallery. These colours and intensity will help to inspire me for my spring/summer collection!




It was such perfect weather in Sydney yesterday! Not a cloud in the sky. I still wore one of favourite winter outfits though- my Penelope Red Tailored Winter Dress, my new boots, and my new hat. I love winter fashion- it is always so glamorous!


I am looking forward to some of the coming exhibitions that will be at Art Gallery of NSW: Victorian Visions, Paths to Abstraction, etc.

Be sure to visit the gallery before the Archibald is leaves on the 30th May 2010.

Silk Ikats of Central Asia: Art Gallery of NSW

Yesterday I visited the Art Gallery of NSW to view their latest exhibition, Silk Ikats of Central Asia.




While it was a small exhibit, the displayed items were extremely beautiful, and very inspiring for my work!



The embroideries, colours, detail, patterns, prints, and textures were just simply stunning, and it truly is amazing how much work is involved in each piece. It is astounding that each and every piece was created by hand, and it really inspires me to want to create more hand worked pieces.

I would recommend this exhibit to anyone who is interested in or enjoys needlework/craft, printing, fashion, costume, cultural and historical backgrounds.

After viewing the works at the gallery, I returned home full of inspiration for my latest Penelope Red designs! I am hoping to base my latest designs and next photo shoot on these costumes, colours, bold embroideries, and exotic jewellery. It will be quite exciting to see it all together, and I can't wait to show you!

Please note, not all images displayed in this post are from the gallery exhibition. Some of the images I found on the net.

The shape of the Penelope Red Hooded Coat is perfect to reflect the robes, the mini skirts I have made so far reflect the bold colours, and the textured embroideries.