Washington, D.C. — It's been a while, so I'll just jump right in and share some inspiration. I had the fortune to catch the Metropolitan Museum of Art's retrospective exhibition of the French portraitist, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, before it closed. I took a women artists course in college, and along with Artemisia Gentileschi and Rachel Ruysch, Vigée Le Brun stood out as favorites. I always loved the subtle and muted tones of her color palette and the pleasing and empathetic approach she had to depicting her subjects.
Upon seeing the paintings first hand, I was struck by her use of bolder colors like vermillion, rust reds, and carmine as accents, something I did not remember from my college days. Overall, the color of her paintings was gorgeous and inspiring. It left such an impression on me that I unknowingly bought envelopes at the paper store in her palette.
The exhibition catalogue and two sets of envelopes.
Another postcard from the show of Vigée Le Brun's daughter posing as a bather. This birthday card to my sister is inspired by the colors of the painting.