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Bobbi Baugh Studio

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bobbibaughstudio-painted-fabric-blog-header.jpg

On the Other Side of the Ugly Stage… at last!

October 7, 2018

I wrote about this piece a few weeks ago when it was in an early stage of development and when it was – well, ugly seems harsh, but definitely not working for me.

Some pieces seem to fly together. This one has not. But, I completed almost all the surface design this afternoon and I’m pleased at how it has come together. At last! Phew!

bobbibaughstudio-stenciling-squares-as-a-quilt-layer.jpg

Some lessons. First, a work may not go in the direction you originally envisioned. In this one, it changed from being all about the twigs. That’s what drew me to the reference photo. Those were the patterns I wanted to explore. But, when I had laid down the first stencil layer of twigs and branches, the pattern seemed awkward, not fascinating.

bobbibaughstudio-printed-leaf-patterns-in-art-quilt.jpg

But, second lesson, auxiliary ideas may arise. For awhile, I left the twigs to let them simmer, and worked on other more abstract branch shapes. Some are straight, some have a gentle curve. They are definitely graphic elements, not pictures of twigs. But I like them a lot. I like that the piece is big enough that I could play with positive and negative variations with this linear pattern.

bobbibaughstudio-collaged-bird-w-printed-leaves.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-fabric-bird-w-varied-printed-patterns.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-painted-abstract-patterns-in-an-art-quilt.jpg

Third lesson – hold on to the things that you like and seem to be working. I have been very drawn to this teal and purple palette. I like the fabrics I printed. It seemed to me there was something good in there that should work. So, I hung in with the project.

Fourth lesson – scale. I had originally drawn this composition with just two small birds. But, even though finding the birds among the twigs and branches was part of what interested me from the get-go (in other words, I did not want giant-sized immediately obvious birds) two birds in this space just got too lost. So I added more. There are now five birds. And as I added more, lesson two – auxiliary ideas – came into play. The positioning of the birds implied an overall arc through the quilt. This became the composition solution I was looking for, as I developed up a pattern of foliage.Almost done. I need to stitch a few sections for texture. (Previously learned lesson: Don’t sew the same day you collage. Wet glue is generally not like by your sewing machine.) Once it’s bound I’ll be able to look for final details that may need a little paint tweak or two.

bobbibaughstudio-birds-and--patterns.jpg

I’m glad I stayed with it. I’m glad I have a piece I like. I’m glad they are not all this hard!

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In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art blog, art quilt, stencils, surface design, composition, working thorugh problems, birds, blue, teal, purple, twig patterns
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Welcome

I write to dig a little deeper into the process of artmaking.

  • February 2019
    • Feb 18, 2019 There's Blue. And then there's BLUE! Feb 18, 2019
    • Feb 11, 2019 Rain-soaked sculpture… and 3 art tips we learned Feb 11, 2019
    • Feb 6, 2019 Original. Or not. Feb 6, 2019
  • January 2019
    • Jan 27, 2019 The Little Paper Doll Girl goes on a journey Jan 27, 2019
    • Jan 19, 2019 Work in Progress… Surface Design to get the fabric talking Jan 19, 2019
    • Jan 12, 2019 Four lessons from art masters: Windows Jan 12, 2019
    • Jan 5, 2019 Water Magic Jan 5, 2019
  • December 2018
    • Dec 28, 2018 Two Unanswered Questions Dec 28, 2018
    • Dec 19, 2018 It’s the Little Things – Some Studio Printing Tips Dec 19, 2018
    • Dec 15, 2018 Can we escape the temptation of the photo? Dec 15, 2018
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    • Dec 3, 2018 Life Unseen – Life Unexpected Dec 3, 2018
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    • Nov 21, 2018 Working from the Outside in (Plus THE CHAIR – Part I) Nov 21, 2018
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    • Nov 8, 2018 Peeking inside the neighbors' walls – imagining their stories and secrets Nov 8, 2018
    • Nov 3, 2018 A Journey into Memory. Then Waffles. And an Exhibition. Nov 3, 2018
  • October 2018
    • Oct 28, 2018 Grasping hands with the future of the world Oct 28, 2018
    • Oct 21, 2018 News from the Front Lines – my weekend at an outdoor Art Festival Oct 21, 2018
    • Oct 14, 2018 Monotype Printing on Rice Paper and Fabric… What a great Sunday morning of printmaking! Oct 14, 2018
    • Oct 7, 2018 On the Other Side of the Ugly Stage… at last! Oct 7, 2018
  • September 2018
    • Sep 29, 2018 The weight of carrying untold truths. Sep 29, 2018
    • Sep 26, 2018 Morning in the studio… and thoughts about the process Sep 26, 2018
    • Sep 19, 2018 Working through the ugly stage… a work in progress Sep 19, 2018
    • Sep 15, 2018 Well, how would YOU go about drawing seven sheep? Sep 15, 2018
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    • Aug 29, 2018 LIGHT. PATTERN. KEEP LOOKING Aug 29, 2018
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    • Jul 28, 2018 Saying goodbye – and hello – to a home Jul 28, 2018
    • Jul 22, 2018 Hmmm… Let’s give this one a try Jul 22, 2018
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    • Jul 7, 2018 THE UNEXPECTED WINDOW Jul 7, 2018
    • Jul 1, 2018 Deep Down Roots… Where do they Go? Jul 1, 2018
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    • Jun 21, 2018 A Chance to Talk About My Own Artwork (Oh No!) Jun 21, 2018
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    • Jun 7, 2018 What the child saw, what the child revealed Jun 7, 2018
    • Jun 2, 2018 I STILL wonder about the people across the street. Do you? Jun 2, 2018
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    • May 1, 2018 A chicken or the egg kind of question… and does it make a difference? May 1, 2018
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    • Apr 10, 2018 Gotta Keep Creative… Here’s What I’m Trying Apr 10, 2018
    • Apr 7, 2018 Half awake… and what was revealed. Apr 7, 2018
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    • Mar 22, 2018 The need to "Un-Hermit" Mar 22, 2018
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    • Mar 11, 2018 MIXING REALITIES – PHOTOS AND OTHER WAYS OF BEING REAL Mar 11, 2018
    • Mar 4, 2018 REFLECTIONS - OUTSIDE LOOKING IN Mar 4, 2018
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    • Feb 27, 2018 Talk it through… “Someone who has found a process” Feb 27, 2018
    • Feb 20, 2018 Work-in-Progress… Row House Neighborhood Feb 20, 2018
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    • Feb 11, 2018 One thing leads to another... Feb 11, 2018
    • Feb 4, 2018 The magic that occurs during a studio visit Feb 4, 2018
    • Feb 1, 2018 Life Lesson: Artists know there’s more to work than what you learn in school Feb 1, 2018
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    • Jan 28, 2018 BOREDOM? REALLY? YOU GOTTA-BE-KIDDING-ME Jan 28, 2018
    • Jan 23, 2018 Through the door of a question… Jan 23, 2018
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    • Jan 8, 2018 Just one more reason (of-oh-so-many-good-ones) to take the road less traveled Jan 8, 2018
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    • Jan 4, 2018 Look Deeply and Don't Be Afraid... Jan 4, 2018
    • Jan 3, 2018 Is Juggling a Good Idea? Jan 3, 2018
    • Jan 1, 2018 Last chance – last dance - new creating – no mugwumps Jan 1, 2018
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    • Sep 24, 2017 Switch-hand sketching… getting out of my rut Sep 24, 2017
    • Sep 17, 2017 Remembering the curiosness of the storm Sep 17, 2017
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    • Aug 11, 2017 Haiku Friday - the depths of knowing Aug 11, 2017
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    • Jul 10, 2017 LONGING FOR WATER Jul 10, 2017
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    • Jun 6, 2017 ROOTED DISCOVERIES Jun 6, 2017
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  • May 2017
    • May 22, 2017 Change is Never Easy May 22, 2017

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