As a life-long admirer of John Singer Sargent's portraits, I was thrilled when a number of years ago, the National Gallery of Art in DC hosted a large scale exhibition with over 100 pieces of his work. Of course, we immediately arranged for tickets and took our girls out of school so they could join us. I could have remained there all day viewing the beautiful portraits. After a wonderful morning, we enjoyed lunch in the museum and stopped in the gift shop where we purchased two prints of our favorite paintings.
The first, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1885), features two girls in a garden at dusk, lighting paper lanterns which are hung among the flowers. Sargent captured the light in the painting so remarkably that the light actually appears to glow and reflect onto its surroundings. The print now sits atop one of the tall cabinets in my studio and provides me with lots of inspiration.
In front of it, sits a wire basket where I keep inspirational clippings, ideas, and patterns I have sketched for future projects. As you can see, it's almost overflowing with the many projects I hope to soon begin.
