I live about three blocks away from the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). And yet, I rarely go.  The $20 price tag keeps me away.  Sometimes you just want to go to a museum for an hour, but for $20, I feel like I need to make it a marathon.  Silly, I know.  The good news is that every Friday night, you can go to the museum for free from 4-8pm.  And so this week, we did!

The main reason we went was to see the Kirchner exhibit.  He was a German Expressionist painter and I really love his work.   I wasn't allowed to take any photos in the exhibit, but from MOMA's website, here's one of the paintings we saw:

Kirchner

I love the sense of energy and movement in his painting.  The jagged edges and active line make me very happy!  After happily wandering through the Kirchner exhibit, we moved on to Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities.  One thing hanging in that exhibit, was a work entitled "Scrapbook." 

MOMA-scrapbook

I also really enjoyed this gem covered in doodling (sorry for the lousy photo, but I was shooting through glass on my camera phone and it was dark-ish):

UnHappyMeal

We wandered through a fantastic exhibit on modern design and I took lots of fun photos there…

MOMA-moderndesign

And now I am going to say something blasphemous.  I have never really liked Salvador Dali's work.   I can appreciate it, but I don't love it.   But, MOMA is currently hosting an exhibit called Dali: Painting and Film, so I felt like I should check it out.

Everything made sense to me when I watched the Disney and Hitchcock movies that he made.  For the first time, I saw his fluid creativity and the surrealistic nature of his work felt natural rather than forced or artificial.  His Disney film is called "Destino."  It looks like somebody (illegally) filmed it at the exhibit, because you can find it here on YouTube.  It's only about 5 minutes long and so beautiful (though I will say it loses a little something in the jumpy camera work on YouTube – in and out of focus, etc.)!  Spellbound is the Hitchcock movie and stars Gregory Peck.  They had one of the drops that Dali painted for the movie and I just loved it!  So theatrical.  It immediately got me thinking about stage sets.

Overall, a very inspiring visit to the museum.  And a reminder to myself that I need to walk the three blocks much more often!

And now, here is today's project using Sultane's beautiful papers:

Self-Portraits-sm

I used the Art Nouveau collection again.  So great for paint!

ArtNoveau
Don't forget that it's not too late to win some of the stamps I designed for Scrapbook Takeout by leaving a comment on this post.  Thanks for stopping by!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a painter, printmaker, and collage artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Her artwork investigates the interplay of identity and perception, inviting viewers to take a longer look. Julie works in layers, both physically and metaphorically, exploring what is visible and what is concealed. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops and her online classroom at MyArtPractice.com. Julie's achievements include high-profile clients, multiple publications - including her book, “Carve Stamp Play” - and exhibits in New York City and throughout Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University.

40 thoughts on “Inspiration at MOMA

  • Ohh – I gotta go there again too – as you are not in NYC when I come – I might as well visit MoMa 🙂
    Love the Layout- the adding of paint is so cool!!!

    Reply
  • Ohh – I gotta go there again too – as you are not in NYC when I come – I might as well visit MoMa 🙂
    Love the Layout- the adding of paint is so cool!!!

    Reply
  • Ohh – I gotta go there again too – as you are not in NYC when I come – I might as well visit MoMa 🙂
    Love the Layout- the adding of paint is so cool!!!

    Reply
  • Ohh – I gotta go there again too – as you are not in NYC when I come – I might as well visit MoMa 🙂
    Love the Layout- the adding of paint is so cool!!!

    Reply
  • Oh – loved your post on the MoMa. My daughter lives near there and I have always wanted to see the museum. Now I will. I really liked your layout. I have never seen one almost like a coloring book. How fun!
    Sue (2peas)

    Reply
  • Oh – loved your post on the MoMa. My daughter lives near there and I have always wanted to see the museum. Now I will. I really liked your layout. I have never seen one almost like a coloring book. How fun!
    Sue (2peas)

    Reply
  • Oh – loved your post on the MoMa. My daughter lives near there and I have always wanted to see the museum. Now I will. I really liked your layout. I have never seen one almost like a coloring book. How fun!
    Sue (2peas)

    Reply
  • Oh – loved your post on the MoMa. My daughter lives near there and I have always wanted to see the museum. Now I will. I really liked your layout. I have never seen one almost like a coloring book. How fun!
    Sue (2peas)

    Reply
  • Great post..That does seem like the perfect place for inspiration

    Reply
  • Great post..That does seem like the perfect place for inspiration

    Reply
  • Great post..That does seem like the perfect place for inspiration

    Reply
  • Great post..That does seem like the perfect place for inspiration

    Reply
  • You can always count on a museum visit to motivate you! It makes me happy to know that this visit let you see what I see in Dali’s work. I’ve always found his style to be soothing and organic. Literally different strokes for different folks! I should see what exhibits are going on at the PEM or at least pop into the galleries on Newbury St.!

    Reply
  • You can always count on a museum visit to motivate you! It makes me happy to know that this visit let you see what I see in Dali’s work. I’ve always found his style to be soothing and organic. Literally different strokes for different folks! I should see what exhibits are going on at the PEM or at least pop into the galleries on Newbury St.!

    Reply
  • You can always count on a museum visit to motivate you! It makes me happy to know that this visit let you see what I see in Dali’s work. I’ve always found his style to be soothing and organic. Literally different strokes for different folks! I should see what exhibits are going on at the PEM or at least pop into the galleries on Newbury St.!

    Reply
  • You can always count on a museum visit to motivate you! It makes me happy to know that this visit let you see what I see in Dali’s work. I’ve always found his style to be soothing and organic. Literally different strokes for different folks! I should see what exhibits are going on at the PEM or at least pop into the galleries on Newbury St.!

    Reply
  • LOVE THOSE .. wow .. and then that paper WOW

    Reply
  • LOVE THOSE .. wow .. and then that paper WOW

    Reply
  • LOVE THOSE .. wow .. and then that paper WOW

    Reply
  • LOVE THOSE .. wow .. and then that paper WOW

    Reply
  • Love Scrapbook and the Unhappy meal;)
    Thanks for sharing Julie.

    Reply
  • Love Scrapbook and the Unhappy meal;)
    Thanks for sharing Julie.

    Reply
  • Love Scrapbook and the Unhappy meal;)
    Thanks for sharing Julie.

    Reply
  • Love Scrapbook and the Unhappy meal;)
    Thanks for sharing Julie.

    Reply
  • Great post. Love that first painting…and is that a happy meal box?? COOL!

    Reply
  • Great post. Love that first painting…and is that a happy meal box?? COOL!

    Reply
  • Great post. Love that first painting…and is that a happy meal box?? COOL!

    Reply
  • Great post. Love that first painting…and is that a happy meal box?? COOL!

    Reply
  • Wow! Would love to see the museum and I’m jealous!! Your layout is fabulous and those papers are amazing!

    Reply
  • Wow! Would love to see the museum and I’m jealous!! Your layout is fabulous and those papers are amazing!

    Reply
  • Wow! Would love to see the museum and I’m jealous!! Your layout is fabulous and those papers are amazing!

    Reply
  • Wow! Would love to see the museum and I’m jealous!! Your layout is fabulous and those papers are amazing!

    Reply
  • Really enjoying this post, thanks for all the eye candy and info…very cool that you got to go to this!

    Reply
  • Really enjoying this post, thanks for all the eye candy and info…very cool that you got to go to this!

    Reply
  • Really enjoying this post, thanks for all the eye candy and info…very cool that you got to go to this!

    Reply
  • Really enjoying this post, thanks for all the eye candy and info…very cool that you got to go to this!

    Reply
  • Julie, I love your pages as usual! Those Sultane papers are awesome as are your stamps…I have finally made the commitment to add more stamping to my pages, cards and other projects…thanks for the inspiration as usual..I also love that crochet necklace!
    Will you and Mom be coming to the Haverhill crop in November? Hope to see you both soon.

    Reply
  • Julie, I love your pages as usual! Those Sultane papers are awesome as are your stamps…I have finally made the commitment to add more stamping to my pages, cards and other projects…thanks for the inspiration as usual..I also love that crochet necklace!
    Will you and Mom be coming to the Haverhill crop in November? Hope to see you both soon.

    Reply
  • Julie, I love your pages as usual! Those Sultane papers are awesome as are your stamps…I have finally made the commitment to add more stamping to my pages, cards and other projects…thanks for the inspiration as usual..I also love that crochet necklace!
    Will you and Mom be coming to the Haverhill crop in November? Hope to see you both soon.

    Reply
  • Julie, I love your pages as usual! Those Sultane papers are awesome as are your stamps…I have finally made the commitment to add more stamping to my pages, cards and other projects…thanks for the inspiration as usual..I also love that crochet necklace!
    Will you and Mom be coming to the Haverhill crop in November? Hope to see you both soon.

    Reply

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