I love these dishes. My daughter made them for me when she was working on her MFA in ceramics. I use them every day.

I was holding one of these today, thinking about the simple comfort of pleasing shapes and useful objects. I live a pretty simple life and I am not very attached to or interested in acquiring “things.”

At the same time, simple objects can be very meaningful.

I have a blue glass bottle I like very much.

I have several favorite coffee cups.

I have a favorite blanket.

These things are on my mind as I am letting ideas cook about where I want to take my body of work this coming year. I have been creating works dealing with a girl’s journey for several years. And I have created works with images drawing on memory and dreams – tree shapes, water and windows.

Now I feel I want continue to draw on memory images, but to also to say something about landing places. Where the journey brings us.

I don’t’ know yet how I will incorporate simple daily objects into this narrative. But the idea will evolve.

And I would also like to find a way to incorporate some words. Especially some poetry. (I find the incorporation of text into works very challenging. I have seen some textile works using words that are elegant and poignant. I have also seen some that are, well, tacky.)

Some recent beautiful words I have discovered:

When I look back through my old sketchbooks and notebooks, it’s interesting to me that what may seem like a whole new idea may have appeared in different forms in other works.

Simple Objects. . . I made this art quilt, “Just Enough,” to give voice to the beauty to be found in simple objects.

Words. . . In this storytelling art quilt, “Caving Away Beneath Us. Again,” I used text as the background of the whole image. I wrote on yards of fabric which then became the sky and the fabric used to depict the young girl.

If you are looking for direction in your work, it can be helpful to look at what you have created before and see what was in it that spoke to you. Do you want to do more of the same? Add to those ideas?

Or maybe you will launch in a new direction.

One of the many wonderful things about artmaking… there are so many possibilities!

. . . . . . . . .

To readers who in the DeLand area, I invite you to an exhibit that will be in DeLand City Hall City Commission chambers. The theme is “Contrasts,” works created by members of ArtsEtc. This is a small surface design group that has been meeting and creating together for over twenty years. All of us look forward to showing our work together.

For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating

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

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

How I keep in touch:

BLOG POSTS  - once a week:  Mostly about what I am creating in the studio. If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail, please subscribe here:  I post and send by e-mail each Sunday evening. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER – about once a month: Mostly news of exhibits and my way of introducing new work. You’ll get FIRST LOOKS at new artwork and members-only discounts. You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER