Niki de Saint Phalle

Jim knows how much I was taken with this artist's big colourful statues on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice so picked up a book on her that was being featured when he was in the library today.   (Unfortunately,  the photos I took are no longer available on my blog…some glitch with Blogger I guess).   Perhaps these weren't a permanent installation as I can't seem to bring up images when I google Nice and Niki de Saint Phalle.  This image isn't one of the ones but it will give you the idea…it's the image that on the book.

I learned that Saint Phalle was a "new realist".

"Its demand for freedom of artistic practice carried it over the frontiers of traditional painting in the direction of object art,  making use of ordinary materials from everyday life and introducing "action" as an element of artistic expression….

Saint Phalle created paintings which,  having attached targets,  bags of liquid paint and so on to them,  she then peppered with rifle shot.  With her "shooting paintings"  'everything depended on chance, as in real life,' as exhibition-maker and museum-founder Pontus Hulten wrote."

I think this is going to be a fascinating read!

Susan,  maybe we'll try this…do you have a rifle in your arsenal of art supplies?