Kusama Dots Red

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

It has been quite a while since I posted artwork to the blog and I am so happy to share some new pieces over the coming weeks.  After an artistic dry spell that lasted a few months, inspiration came all at once and I couldn’t paint fast enough!

The painting on the far right of this image is titled Kusama Dots Red and is inspired by the work of Yayoi Kusama.  An example of Kusama’s painting style is included in the image attached to this post (far left).  I was really moved by the documentary on her life and work currently streaming on Hulu and seeing her work in person was rather profound.  She uses dots of some form in the majority of her work, but upon closer inspection, her paintings are a bit different.  Kusama’s paintings are full of movement, a sort of pulsing or slow, rhythmic vibration that, at a distance, look like black bands on a solid color canvas.  Looking closer, the viewer sees that there are no bands at all, only dots of varying size.  I have included a detail of one of Kusama’s paintings for reference.

I love the idea of dots creating a sense of movement depending on their size and spacial relation to each other and I attempted to acknowledge that with my painting.

Kusama Dots Red is acrylic on canvas and measures 10″ x 10″.

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.