Rocks. And Roots

A little digging in the garden is therapeutic. This week I pulled out weeds in a circular area around our big oak tree to make breathing room for some perennial peanuts, a nice little ground cover with yellow flowers. Then I mulched it.  I’m not crazy about stooping down and sweating. But I like digging in the dirt with my hands.

Last year we did some digging out of a garden right by our driveway and revealed this group of rocks and roots.

Maybe it’s better not to let artists do the gardening. Immediately I was running for my camera to capture the image.

I walk on it. I look at it from above. “Just” dirt. But, only a shovel-full below the surface and a foot off the driveway, this dirt revealed beautiful and complex interactions.

It’s the inspiration for my current large art quilt project.

First: the photos. I did a little enhancing in PhotoShop to add let the colors pop. Then I transferred the photo onto muslin. (My method is to work from laser color copies, on paper, from my local print shop. I transfer to muslin with gel medium.) I will blend the seams with paint once it’s all assembled and quilted.

The next major step in the piece has been the creation of a body of fabrics to complement the rocks. I want vivid color to give voice to the intricacies and vitality I discovered in this rocks-root-photo.

Now I am putting them together. Here I’m stitching into the photo of the rocks and roots. The backing is grey eco felt, which will be the backing of the quilt. I am using a heavy black thread to trace selective parts of the photo.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten on this project so far. I expect it to unfold over the next month or so.

I hope on this labor day weekend you are finding time for labor or tasks that are meaningful to you, and finding time for nourishing projects, and taking time to think of and thank people who work nine-to-fives (or more) to keep us all going.

Stay healthy and creative.

PS – Need to exercise the other side of your brain? How about writing a little POETRY! I’m a volunteer for SAQA’s Fresh Fish project, which will produce a book combining visual art + poetry on the subject of Florida underwater life, especially FISH. Give it a try. Might be fun. Or refer this to poets you know. It’s FREE. Anyone may submit poems. Deadline is October 31.

To get all the details, rules and timeline, request a prospectus here:
SAQAFlaPoetryProject@gmail.com

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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