Scene: May-June 2020

3-D Chinese paintings by Anita Wong, metal flower sculptures, a woodland tabletop collection, transparent handbags by Olivia Cheng, and new books to inspire you

Artist Anita Wong

Blurring the lines between traditional Chinese art and contemporary works, artist Anita Wong found her medium with expressive brushstrokes and arresting compositions rooted in nature.

To create Bird, a sun print of an original bird painting, “I placed real flowers on top of photography paper during sun exposure,” she says.

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‘Blue’ painting
‘Bird’ by Anita Wong, anitayanwong.com

Forever in Bloom

Metal artist Tommy Mitchell and interior designer Charlotte Moss have teamed up to create a collection of flowers inspired by horticulturist Robert Furber’s 1730 book Twelve Months of Flowers. Each flower is handmade of copper, brass, and steel. Some are housed in acrylic wall studies and some in cachepots, like the July delphinium.

art scene may 2020, Tommy Mitchell flower metal art
July delphinium, $1,200, from Charlotte Moss x Tommy Mitchell, tommymitchellcompany.com

Whimsical Woodland

Christopher Spitzmiller, known for his colorful ceramic lamps, and artist and author Cathy Graham collaborated for their Woodland tabletop collection. It’s fanciful, fresh, and plays well with other existing pieces in your collection.

tabletop scene may 2020, Woodland tabletop collection by Christopher Spitzmiller and Cathy Graham
‘Woodland,’ starting at $95 for a coffee or tea mug, by Cathy Graham with Christopher Spitzmiller. Special order at christopherspitzmiller.com.

Pressed for All Time

Olivia Cheng started by curating and selling vintage clothing through a resale app. Then in 2018 while earning a business degree at New York University, she launched Dauphinette, a line that reworks vintage outerwear—painting leather jackets with Warhol-esque flowers and adding feathers, crochet, unconventional buttons, and embroidery. From there, Cheng began making handbags, jewelry, and other ready-to-wear items with the same flair as the outerwear.

fashion scene may 2020, Bag designed by Olivia Cheng
‘Ina’s Violas’ bag, $345, dauphinette.com

We love Dauphinette’s transparent handbags, named in honor of Ina Garten, in which real pressed flowers are sealed into custom-cut paillettes with vintage sequins from Cheng’s personal collection. “More than anything, I wanted to share a new way of interacting with recycled materials that I wasn’t seeing in the industry, and to create a community and conversation around that,” she says. Falling for Cheng’s designs isn’t difficult. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

By Alice Welsh Doyle