As I work in the studio I generally have NPR on in the background. Lately I’ve heard a LOT of stories about spices, family traditions, recipes, and pie dos-and-don’ts. (Apparently this has to do with the baking part. Once it’s baked, the only “do” is Eat and enjoy!)

In the midst of thinking abut baking and eating, I received a note from SAQA that the global exhibit “Gastronomy” has an opening this month in Odessa, Texas. I am always honored to be part of a global exhibition. In this one, the work I’m exhibiting is “More than Bread.”

SAQA does a wonderful job of traveling and promoting its Global Exhibits. Here’s where “Gastronomy” has been and will exhibit:

Premiere - International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas: November 1 - 5, 2022

Ellen Noël Art Museum, Odessa, Texas: December 7, 2023 - March 10, 2024

Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio: May 1 - May 4 2024

The Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, Minnesota: October 4 - December 31, 2025

I remember creating this work and how much I enjoyed it, so I thought I’d share some of the process this week. There were a lot of learning experiences in this work.

THE JOY OF DRAWING  I love to draw. Every time I write that, I realize that I don’t do it enough, and how much I would like to improve my drawing skills. (Note to self: Bobbi, draw more!) This work gave me a chance to practice. I drew the woman freehand on the fabric that would become the quilt. I used a grid enlargement method mixing up some reference photos from online sources with a drawing of myself as the baker. I have learned how much I need a real model to draw people correctly. The angles and the relationship between body parts are never the same visually as what I think they will be. I never would have believed the angle of the glasses on the woman’s nose was the way I drew it till I actually modeled myself and then drew what was there.

THE POSSIBILITIES OF SIMPLE METHODS I really struggled with keeping it simple in the rendering of the woman. I had hoped to have no shading at all, but was not satisfied with line only. But I used as little as possible to build her up. This light acrylic wash over the drawing became the basis of her form.

I also wanted to challenge myself to have an interesting work that was created whole cloth. So, this work is created as one large piece. The fabric is a bed sheet.

THE IMOPRTANCE OF CONTRASTS  While this composition is intentionally simple, it is filled with little details. That’s one contrast: the intricate in the large, simple  spaces. And I worked to achieve strong value contrasts, with an overall contrast of colors: the yellow-purple palette built on the contrasting properties of color complements.

THE INVALUABLE, WONDERFUL, IRREPLACEABLE VALUE OF ASKING FOR HELP: Half way through this work, I was stuck on how to finish up the body, and how much to add or not add. I photographed it as it was, and then did a few Photoshop rough renderings of things I might do. I sent those to two trusted SAQA colleague/friends and asked for advice. They were gracious and helpful. My work was better because of their critiques. The take-aways here are:  1. Yes, ask for help, 2. Don’t wait till it’s DONE to ask for critique. At that point, you may not be able to make changes. Showing your work to artists you know and trust while it is still in its unfinished — or even in the ugly stage — is a good practice.

FINALLY:  E V E R Y T H I N G IS INTERESTING!  Frequenty artists beat themselves up looking for just the right scene or subject matter to be worthy of artmaking.  It’s the artmaking version of writer’s block. Everything can be interesting! The salt shaker. Your cups. Lettuce. A table. A book on a table. Just look at the wonderful images created by artists for this exhibit.

(This snip was from the exhibit description on the SAQA website. you can see and enjoy the whole exhibit, along with details, here:)
https://www.saqa.com/art/exhibitions/gastronomy-saqa-global-exhibition

In the weeks ahead, as most of us will be fortunate enough to enjoy smells and tastes of good food, I hope you enjoy it all deeply. And maybe it will inspire your artmaking too.

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

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