"Cup of Tea at Midnight" Yayoi Kusama | Cupfull Collection 8x8 Original Oil (framed)

The Cupfull Collection is here! During July I participated in an Instagram painting challenge with cups inspired by a female artist or designer. It was fun to learn about each creative woman and create a cup inspired by their contribution to art and design.

Day 27/28: The prompt was supposed to be Madge Gill, but I found her story sad and her work dark and depressing. I paint joyful colorful art, so I chose to paint a piece inspired by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama (1929 | age 93) instead. Kusama was substituted for an earlier prompt after I had already completed the original one. Kusama is a self-described “obsessional artist.” Her extensive use of polka dots and infinity installations employed painting and sculpture. Her art was informed by hallucinations she began experiencing as a child which involved fields of dots. She moved to New York City in 1957 and returned to Japan 16 years later. In 1977, she chose to live in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo where she continued to create work. In 2017 she opened a museum dedicated to her work nearby. The inspiration behind my cup painting is Kusama’s “Flowers That Bloom at Midnight” series. This was a colorful collection of flower sculptures cast in fiberglass reinforced plastic and painted by hand that ranged from 4-16 feet in height.

“Cup of Tea at Midnight” is an original 8”x8” oil painting on a canvas panel. This piece is signed on the front. The painting is wired and framed. It comes with a certificate of authenticity.

©Sharon Sudduth