Eternally fashionable and perpetually untamed, the P. Nunn Collection has burst onto the art scene with a passionate and powerful touring exhibition called, Egglectic Abstractions. Using a palette of vintage jewels, found objects, ostrich eggs, clay and paint, artist Lenne’ Nicklaus-Ball has literally collapsed the walls which separate primitive desire from proper behavior. New York Times critic, William Zimmer said, “As it is an instance of perfect quiet, Lenne’ Nicklaus-Ball’s recent art is an instance of perfect riot.”

Ultimately, the collection speaks to the memory of Lenne’s grandmother, Peg Nunn who died at 91 in 2004, leaving behind an enormous cache of costume jewelry along with her verve for high fashion, glamour and culture. “She was always impeccably dressed for the day,” says Lenne’. “In her closet, my grandmother had over 200 hats, and dozens of gloves of all lengths and styles.” Although her public persona translated to proper style, Peg Nunn’s closet housed the creativity that would propel her artist/granddaughter to build a collection of unique and fascinating sculpture in her honor.

As startling as they appear in their composition, each unique sculpture invokes a sense of tranquility. No two “eggs” bear a resemblance to one another, and each one owns a particular statement of complicated minimalism. Feathers converge with butterflies strands of pearls emerge through the twigs of a bird’s next and with each testament to chaos, an ostrich egg is presented with controlled energy. Deep within the roots of Italian Renaissance art, ostrich eggs symbolize the Immaculate Conception, “as they lay alone in the sand without their parents, warming in the sun.” For Lenne’, ostrich eggs are sturdy objects with as much individual character as a human head. Each one tells a different tale and therefore each needs to be dressed accordingly with various stones, jewels and color. “What inspired me about the eggs at first was their unique ability to become a canvas for color. I began decorating them and finding ways to stand them, using traditional egg stands and other simple devises,” says Lenne’. “I’m not sure exactly how it came about, but the wooden horses I used in some of my first pieces became inspirational for finding ways to ‘transport’ the eggs and give them movement.”

A noted abstract artist, Lenne’ has her hands in all areas of art, including neon light, pottery and hand-crafted accessories. “Using clay to sculpt the shapes which would later become multidimensional bases for the eggs, evolved over time,” adds Lenne’. “Allowing each sculpture to take on different height and weight within each piece brought the collection to the next level.” One of the eggs called Sea Jewels combines an urchin shaped pot, painted in vibrant green and blue tones, with multi hued coral, green and blue jewelry and a glittery gold ostrich egg.

“Sea Jewels seemed to draw people toward it,” says Nancy Doyle, curator at the Don Vista Cultural Arts Center. “Whether is was the intense colors or the mysterious movement, it was the point of many discussions.”

The majority of pieces will be on tour over the next three years at various art centers and small museums. For more information about the tour and the artwork, email lenne@tampabay.rr.com