Tea Paintings

Tea Paintings: The Birds

by Nancy Lucas

The Birds

The Birds

The Birds

As a child, Nancy recalled watching her grandmother, a real southern lady, follow a ritual of brewing and sipping her tea - always using her finest china. Her own morning ritual of brewing and sipping tea while watching the birds at the bluebird houses and feeders had inspired her to try to capture their beauty in watercolor paintings. The birds, who work constantly at nest building, getting food, taking care of young, inspire Nancy to be diligent while she works on her paintings. In honor of her grandmother, she painted various well known fine china pieces as well as unusual pieces to compliment her birds.

Tea Paintings

by Cassatt, Matisse & Pollock

In this month's installation of the Art of Tea, we'll do a quick study of the development of art through the interpretation of tea. We'll cover three pieces by great artists from different periods, including Mary Cassatt, Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock. While the art varies greatly from the earlier to the later pieces, each artist was equally inspired by this great beverage. 

 1880 - Five o'clock Tea
Mary Cassatt was a painter whose work was greatly influenced by Manet and Degas, whose friendship and esteem she enjoyed. Her pictures are notable for their refreshing simplicity, vigorous treatment and pleasing color.

1919 - Tea
Henri Matisse was a painter, sculptor and lithographer. Along with Picasso, Matisse is considered one of the two foremost artists of the modern period. His contribution to 20th-century art is inestimably great.

1946 - The Tea Cup
Jackson Pollock, generally known as the primary figure in the Abstract Expressionism movement, was famous for splattering or dripping paint on a canvas. Like Adagio Teas, Jackson Pollock's work has appeared in Time Magazine.