Old World Reflections: Inspiration Part II: Russian Splendors

INSPIRATION PART II:

RUSSIAN SPLENDORS

As I wrote last time, I mentioned that for this post on inspiration I would write about Russia. Not in the context of today's terrible news cycle, but in terms of it's beauty and history and inspiring art and architecture. I am not Russian nor have I ever been to Russia, but ever since I was a little girl there was something about it that fascinated me. It seemed so exotic and old world, rich with culture and history. It always seemed to me like a wilder Europe with many extremes. There were rulers that varied from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great; and architecture that ranges from Neoclassical palaces to spires topped with exotic onion domes. I always loved the fairytales and folk stories that my mother read to me from the illustrated books that always filled the shelves. Throughout my life it has been an unexpected influence that has permeated my life in many ways.

(Amazon Stock Photo)

Beautiful Book of Russian Fairytales by Lucy Maxym illustrated with traditional black lacquer box paintings

As a teenager I traveled with my parents to Dallas for the Catherine the Great exhibition which was absolutely breathtaking. Finally being able to see the gilded opulence of the Imperial carriage, and clothing and the beautiful enamel decorative arts for which Russian artisans are so famous....in short... it left a huge impression. Later on the mid-nineties I was able to see the Treasures of the Czars exhibit (twice) 😊 and again was so captivated by the decorative arts and the exquisite craftsmanship of all these treasures that had never before ventured out of their homeland.

My mother and I began collecting Matryoshka nesting dolls and Russian eggs about this time and loved the beautiful intricate patterns hand painted on the outside. My mother Caroline, had the most gorgeous little breakfast nook which she transformed into a magical place filled with Russian nesting dolls, black lacquered boxes and dollhouses. It was a fairytale room, filled with late nights of her teaching me to draw and make little treasures that would go into her Russian and Bavarian inspired dollhouses.

A corner in my mother's breakfast room with part of her collection of Russian nesting dolls

A few of my mother's incredible dollhouses

Russian egg display

My love of Russian arts and interiors has always stayed with me. in 2012 I had the opportunity to do a new solo exhibit and knew immediately I wanted to do a Russian inspired body of work. I think my recent purchase of the book, "The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Berge" also played a roll in this, as there is a chapter on their gorgeous Russian Dacha (country house) that the two decorated that captures all the beauty and mystique of Russian art and architecture that I adore. As a lover of pattern and design, Russian colors and themes lent themselves perfectly for the borders that I always love to incorporate in my own work. The beautiful thing about Russian arts is their range of styles and how unique they are to the country. They range from simple lines of painted flowers found in wooden folk art to priceless jewels and enamel found in the Imperial treasures designed by Peter Carl Faberge in the 19th century for the aristocracy.

"Russian Snow Scene" from my exhibit, Russian Splendors in 2012

"Ural Moon" 2012

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Here is a link to the book! Private-World-Saint-Laurent-Pierre Berge

More paintings from my exhibit in 2012

That same year, I had a friend who was going to be traveling to Russia and my friend Carolyn and I decided to host a Russian themed dinner party in her honor, which was so much fun to plan! The menu consisted of blinis with caviar, cucumber salad, stroganoff (we took a little leeway with this) vodka cocktails and fruit tarts.

One of my favorite parts in the planning was making the place cards.

(Our names were in Cryllic and were probably all wrong, but they were such fun to make!)

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One of the quickest and easiest ways to find Russian inspiration either for a menu or interior is to peruse the website for the iconic restaurant, the Russian Tea Room in New York City. It is such a magical place and I am so happy its doors are still open!

http://www.russiantearoomnyc.com

Today it's easier than ever to incorporate Russian decorative arts in the house. With sources like Ebay, one has lacquer boxes, matryoshka dolls, icons, and Russian enamelware at their fingertips, and you don't have to wait for the next Catherine the Great exhibit to come to town!

If you love these things as much as I do you will have a wonderful time perusing these favorite books and sites that I have listed below.

Thank you again for stopping in!

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