• All Galleries
  • Events-Exhibits
  • BLOG
  • About
  • CONTACT
Menu

Bobbi Baugh Studio

  • All Galleries
  • Events-Exhibits
  • BLOG
  • About
  • CONTACT
bobbibaughstudio-colors-blog-post-1-3-21.jpg

Letting Each Color Do Its Work

January 3, 2021

I’m so grateful that it is a new year, filled with possibilities. I feel a great burst of creative energy

This week I have been working to complete the blue-trees artwork that has developed into an art quilt. It is making me think about color and how it works.

I try hard to use my colors intentionally.

Colors have purpose; I find my work is most effective when I let each color do its job.

Generally, I compose works with one dominant color. I work almost monochromatically through a lot of the creation. Then, I add accents and splashes of (usually) the complement or near-complement.

The dominant color in this work is blue. A blue palette with tree images evokes dreams and memories to me. Although I have added a lot more complexity in monoprinting multiple layers and values in the individual sections, the overall palette reads as blue.

This section is monoprinted with blue acrylic on rice paper, then collaged to muslin

This section is monoprinted with blue acrylic on rice paper, then collaged to muslin

This section is mooprinted with multiple colors on sheer polyester, then collaged to muslin

This section is mooprinted with multiple colors on sheer polyester, then collaged to muslin

Using MOSTLY one color throughout a work provides unity. Using ONLY one color throughout would just be boring.

In this work, I love the splashes of orange and mustard yellow. Their job is to wake up the blue and make it more lively. (Complementary colors next to each other create a visual “pop.”) Here are the two sections from above next to an orange hue.

bobbibaughstudio-blue-trees-nest-to=orange.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-blue-trees-w-orange-complement.jpg

I created the tree with the complements of orange and blue. Orange was the underneath color. The tree was formed with a hand-cut stencil on a gelatin printing plate, with some organic grass pieces providing the texture.

bobbibaughstudio-monotype-blu-orange-tree.jpg

Even where the blue overprints the orange, that bit of orange shows through and gives it some depth.

Here is the reverse. I have overprinted orange shapes through a stencil onto a blue background. But the magic ingredient here is not the complement, it’s a little bit of white.

bobbibaughstudio-melon-shapes-on-blue.jpg

If you put blue and orange (complements) NEXT to each other they each “pop.” If you put orange on TOP of blue, you get mud. The orange is not opaque unless there’s a bit of white mixed in. The white is what has transformed this pure orange into a cantaloupe—like color. White adds opacity.

I also used the opaque quality of white to create the window shape around the tree.

bobbibaughstudio-window-formed-w-white-wash.jpg

I am enjoying this quilt, but I am also anxious to complete it. My new year energy has stirred up all kinds of ideas of what to work on next.

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

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

 

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,  please subscribe here:  I post blogs once a week. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories, as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts, I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.  You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER







In Artmaking Thoughts Tags work in progress, art quilt, blue trees, colors, complementary colors, blue, monotype, surface design
1 Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-11-8-2020.jpg

Artmaking from the gut

November 8, 2020

This image of abandoned row houses has stayed with me.

If an image speaks to you powerfully — if it stays with you after you’ve turned away from it — I think you should listen.

When I look at my own work critically, I find that I am generally most pleased with pieces in which I have some emotional investment. Deeper gut reaction can be the beginning of deeper artwork. So, I now have several large pieces (each just in its beginning stage) that have started with a powerful gut reaction.

Painting touchups on the photo I transferred to fabric

Painting touchups on the photo I transferred to fabric

This one is about houses in a row.

I grew up in Baltimore and spent my earliest years in a row house neighborhood. This was not a slum and it was also not a fancy townhome neighborhood. It was the kind of neighborhood in which young families were in their first starter home. There were kids around. Each house had a small, fenced back yard that opened out onto the alley.

When I was in high school my family moved to Florida. I remember noticing right away that the houses and the neighborhood just didn’t feel the same. Florida homes don’t have basements. The interiors have different wall finishes and different windowsills.

Everything felt “off.”

This photo of rundown houses in downtown Baltimore just speaks to me. It has a beautiful subtle palette. I like the simple shapes. And it speaks of loss and decay. (I discovered it online, referenced to a magazine publication from 2014. I contacted them and received permission to use the photo in my quilt.) I will be adding a character (a little girl) to the story and incorporating other fabric elements alongside this photo too.

Mixing some neutral grey tones for touching up the photo

Mixing some neutral grey tones for touching up the photo

Recently I presented a program via zoom to a quilt group in California. Most of the talk was about thinking through concepts and ideas – all the things to do before creating an art quilt. (Or any kind of artwork.) To me, this is where there’s important work to do.

The image that speaks so deeply to me might not speak to any other artist. All OK. Some are inspired by a peaceful beach in the early morning, or a hibiscus flower with amazing hues, or a piece of family memorabilia. Also all OK.

What I think is important is to listen to that strong gut reaction to an inspiration. Then start figuring out what to do with it.


Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

PS - Last week I was sharing some anxiety over our US election. Today… Aaaahhhh! So much better. I am filled with relief and hope for the future. Thanks to you for sharing your heartfelt responses.

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,  please subscribe here:  I post blogs once a week. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories, as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts, I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.  You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags inspiration for art, gut responses, mixing paint colors, art quilt, tow houses, photo transfers, work in progress, in the studio
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-10-18-20.jpg

What is the color of light?

October 18, 2020

This week I’m in the beginning stages of a new quilt dealing with the subject of light. (I will hope to submit this to SAQA global exhibition about LIGHT due at the end of November.)

Light is not so much a color as an experience.

Light is not s much a thing to depict as an effect on the things it touches – or does not touch.

Light is ethereal and changing.

bobbibaughstudio-photo-transfer-light-vines.jpg

I am returning to a favorite photo of vines and light and shadow viewed through the window of an abandoned house. (I shot this image in rural South Carolina.)

My vision is to create original printed and painted fabric to enhance the feel of that light and to serve as transitions from the photo to a section of darkness.

(I know. This is a pretty ethereal vision. But I’m all in now!)

bobbibaughstudio-photo-of-vines.jpg

I’m beginning with a translation – changing the experience of light into a hue. Working from the photo, I’ve discovered a pale celery-green with a tinge of golden yellow that I want to work into my coordinating fabric.

Here’s the palette set-up: Black + Yellow+ white.

bobbibaughstudio-paint-set-up-in-studio.jpg

Black + Yellow = olive green. Go heavy on the black and it’s deep olive green. Add white to that to get a range of  celery tones.

Black + yellow with a heavier concentration of yellow = mustard yellow. Add white to that to get a range of creamy yellow tones.

bobbibaughstudio-mixing-paints.jpg

I’m going to sponge this onto muslin to get an all-over tone. Then the texture and pattern will be created by subsequent layers of a slightly different hue.

bobbibaughstudio-acrylic-paint-wash-on-fabric.jpg

Just a thought about entering exhibitions: I find this very inspiring. I like responding to a specific theme, and I even like it when there are specific size restraints. (This one’s pretty open. I can be from 30”-46”H x 34-60”W.) But I have learned from experience only to enter exhibits in which the piece I create is one that would have interested me anyway. It should fit into a body of work or have other interest to me in case I am not accepted, or if the work comes back to me after the exhibit.

Just a thought about repeating elements from one quilt to the next: I’ve decided that I like doing this. I have returned to the photos of the vines in the windows for several works. Each time I use it a bit differently. Because it’s an original photo, I now consider it part of my working vocabulary, like a favorite hand-cut stencil or relief print bloc.

Here are two other previously created quilts that incorporate this photo:

This is the Way to Get In” This quilt was in Florida Craftsman’s Contemporary Fibers Show earlier this year and is now in the Q=A=Q exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY. On my website, HERE

“Something Else Will Grow There.” I created this as part of my  “Home is What You Remember” show at Arts on Douglas in 2018 . On my website, HERE

Just one more thought about Exhibitions: Sometimes they bring nice surprises. I was thrilled this week to learn that my quilt “Overlooked” (below) won FIRST PLACE at Material II Fiber Exhibit at d’art Center in Norfolk, VA.  (Whooo-Wheee!) The gallery made a nice video of judges remarks so I was able to watch watch on You Tube.. You could learn more about this quilt on my website, HERE

bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-overlooked.jpg

THE WEEK AHEAD: Early voting begins in Florida this week. I  signed up to volunteer as a poll-watcher. I’m looking forward to being a small part of the whole process.

Stay well. Happy creating.

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
Bobbi
bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,  please subscribe here:  I post blogs once a week. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories, as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts, I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.  You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER





Tags art quilt, light, color of light, in the studio, exhibiting
1 Comment
bobbibaughstudio-people-look-at-art-blog-11-9-19.jpg

Art-Looking. Art-making. Different. And the Same

November 11, 2019

First of all, each requires a commitment of time.

From my artist’s chair this weekend as an exhibitor at the Maitland Art Festival, I looked at a lot of people looking at art. I know it was an investment of time for the artmakers: studio time to create the work, travel, set-up, two 11-hour days plus a 6-hour-day, then breakdown and travel home. But I was grateful also to see the investment of time made by art-lookers, too. Lots of people arranged their weekend schedule to allow time to come look at art. Many people entered my booth and traveled the perimeter slowly, taking time to absorb and to understand. (Thank you!)

So nice when art-lookers take time for a slow, thorough look at works!

So nice when art-lookers take time for a slow, thorough look at works!

With art of all kinds, a lot is lost if the art-looker only gives a cursory look. Be willing to give work time to speak to you and to reveal its complexity. This quilt was displayed in my exhibit this weekend. A lot of people looked at it. I was pleased that many people looked at it closely.

“What the Waterlilies Sing”

“What the Waterlilies Sing”

A closer look would reveal this detail.

bobbibaughstudio-detail-egret-what-the-waterlilies.jpg

Another detail a closer look would reveal.

bobbibaughstudio-heron-waterlily-detail-3.jpg

(If you’d like more information on “What the Waterlilies Sing,” it is on my website HERE)

“Sleeping on it” can also be a good strategy. In the studio with a work-in-progress, I have often felt the need to set it aside for a night. During sleep, unresolved issues sometimes are worked out. I can come back to the creative work with a new perspective. An art-looker shared a similar experience with me. She walked into my booth and immediately pointed out a work to purchase. I was very pleased – and surprised. “That was a pretty quick decision,” I said. “No,” she answered. “I had seen this work yesterday, but I just wasn’t sure I was ready for a purchase. My budget is small and I have to spend it carefully. But, during the night, the image of this work came back to me, and I knew this was the right decision.” I could not have been more honored!

For both art-makers and art-lookers, creating and experiencing artwork enriches and deepens the experience of life!

One more Festival for me this year. If you are nearby, I hope I’ll see you in DeLand - my hometown!

bobbibaughstudio-deland-fall-festival-of-the-arts.jpg

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

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a
Studio Insider.



In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art exhibits, art festivals, looking at art. what the water lilies sing, art blog, art quilt, in the studio
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-memory-of-burned-house-blog-header.jpg

Returning to the Burned House… Depicting What is Not There

September 15, 2019

I’ve posted a few times about this work along the way. (See August 16 and August 31) This past week I pulled all the pieces together and finished the quilt.

Here’s the emotional tone I want to capture: The burned house… portraying what is not there. A place that exists and does not. Ambiguity and dream-like memory.

This is my inspiration:

   In the burned house I am eating breakfast.

   You understand: there is no house, there is no breakfast,

   Yet here I am.

the opening lines of the poem “Morning in the Burned House” by Margaret Atwood. Because I love this poem, I worked to give myself time to let it develop, to honor the poem that inspired me.

There were times along the way that I was really discouraged. I liked individual parts, but I didn’t feel it had “clicked.” I returned again to the poem, re-reading and absorbing. Then I noticed the illustration on the cover of the book. It depicts a bird cage, in a dream-like environment. That was the image I needed to complete the work. There is no bird or cage described in this poem. But the whole sense of it is about being tied to a place while having moved away from it. The bird and the cage seem the perfect metaphor.

bobbibaughstudio-quilt-detail-bird-cage.jpg

A few details:

bobbibaughstudio-detail-cup-burned-house-quilt.jpg

The table and breakfast utensils are physically described in the poem.

Everything in this house has long been over,
kettle and mirror, spoon and bowl, including my own body,
Including the body I had then,
Including the body I have now,
As I sit at the morning table, alone and happy.

bobbibaughstudio-memory-burn-house-table-detail.jpg

I depicted the bowl floating, not tied to the table surface. This is a way to invite the viewer to see this as a memory or dream.

bobbibaughstudio-detail-burned-house-quilt-window-bird.jpg

Making the window a prominent part of the composition is my own addition. This window photo has appeared in several of the quilted pieces. (It has been transferred to muslin from a laser copy print-out of my digital original.) I like this photo a lot, mostly because of its emotional quality. To me, in this composition it suggests emptiness. From the poem:

Where have they gone to, brother and sister,
Mother and father? Off along the shore,
Perhaps. Their clothes are still on the hangers,
Their dishes piled beside  the sink,

Here’s the completed quilt.

bobbibaughstudio-Memory-of-the-burned-house-72dpi.jpg

A nice serendipity of fabric: Earlier this summer, I experimented with printing fabric with rust. I love the deep and unpredictable results. Most of that fabric went into another work. But, I had some scraps left, and I like they way they evoke the presence of fire in this work.

bobbibaughstudio-detail-rust-fabric-burned-house-quilt.jpg

One of the great pleasure of being a collage artist is this: There is the chance to discover scraps, created for some other purpose, and finding a place for them to have a purpose again.

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

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a
Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail about once a month.





In Artmaking Thoughts Tags margaret atwood, margaret atwood poem, poem, burned house, dream, memory, bird in window, bird cage, art quilt, storytelling quilt, textile collage
1 Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-5-17-19.jpg

Bringing a studio project to its next stage – and Spatter! - and magic

May 17, 2019

I have a lot of respect for the authors and illustrators of children’s books. Some can absolutely make my heart soar. When I volunteer in first grade, I can see the joyful response of children to books that are put together with imagination and insight. Simple images and simple stories require a lot of care to create well.

I feel a part of that process as I am bringing along one of the projects in my studio. It features a dull brown village beneath a dull brown sky. Above the browns, the sky blends to a beautiful blue. There will be something magical in the sky. I want this piece to speak to adults and to elicit an emotional connection. But I am using a child-like vocabulary.

bobbi-baughstudio-creating-brown-village.jpg

Last week I had only put together the pieces of the brown village. (The fabric was the result of some wonderful fabric-printing sessions with a palate limited to brown and black.)

bobbibaughstudio-closeup-printed-painted-sky-in-quilt.jpg

This week I have been working on completing the sky, and on putting the two parts together. I have created the watercolor-looking sky with monotype prints on sheer fabric, layered in an organic way. There’s lots of stitching. It holds the fabric in place, ties the color sections together, and creates a sense of motion.

bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-w-sky-over-houses.jpg

I like the ambiguous way the color works in the composition. It does not imply a specific time of day or night. But there is clearly a contrast between the dull brown associated with the village and the bright blue above. That’s what I hoped for.

After I attached the village section to the backing of the whole piece, I felt they needed a little more visual integration. Time for spatter! I confess to loving to spatter paint. It almost always adds just s bit of nuance that I like.

Here’s the quilt-in-progress on sawhorses outdoors ready for spatter.

bobbibaughstudio-quilt-set-up-outdoors-for-spatter.jpg

My favorite spattering tool is a round cleaning brush. It delivers a lot of dots quickly to a large area. With practice, I have learned to pretty accurately determine if I will get great big blob spatters or a fine all-over mist. (But sometimes there are unanticipated surprises.)

bobbibaughstudio-spattering-supplies.jpg

Next for this work is the creation of the characters that will inhabit the setting and the magical event.  Because I am creating this work for a specific call-to-artists, I think I’ll keep that under my hat for a while.

So… here’s some other magic that I enjoyed this morning. Just a little unrelated life joy – I can’t resist. They are so beautiful. It’s blackberry season!

IMG_3980.JPG

The berries in our garden are just bursting off the vines. Each morning we hurry out to harvest what’s ripened — before the birds get them. The not-yet-ripe ones are an exquisite array of reds.

These have ripened indoors on the windowsill. I predict they do not survive the day without coming into contact with ice cream

bobbibaughstudio-blackberries-on-window-sill.jpg

THANK YOU for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

 

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail about once a month. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER




In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art quilt, storytelling art, brown village, monotype printed fabric, blue and brown sky, sky detail, painted fabric, printed fabric, childlike images, spatter, paint spatter, blackberries, magic
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-4-25-19-discarded-windows.jpg

Overlooked. A Story Waiting to be Told

April 25, 2019

When I saw this picture, I could feel my creative wheels begin to turn. And now it’s a work-in-progress.

bobbibaughstudio-discarded-windows-inspiration-photo.jpg

 (It was sent to me by my sister, who wondered if I was interested in having the windows for my home. I was not interested in the windows. But I was intrigued by the image!)

So much is going on here.

They are discarded. Overlooked. The windows seem to have been out in the garden for some time, because the weeds and vines are growing all around and through them.

The frames contain intriguing reflections.

It is a naturally defined composition – areas of dark and light.

It made me think of The Secret Garden – an untended garden, long forgotten but full of potential. (And filled with a sense of both magic and mystery.) The Secret Garden made me think of a little girl. So, now, I am creating a work that puts those things together: The abandoned windows. The abundant growth. The little girl. The sense of being overlooked. A bit of mystery.

It’s in-progress in my studio now.

bobbibaughstudio-photo-transfers-with-stitching-work-in-progress.jpg

So far, I have been working on the background. The quilt will be 42” x 42”. I tiled the photos to enlarge them as laser copies, then transferred onto muslin. I’ve assembled them in a random, haphazard pattern. filled with oblique angles.. Yesterday I had a wonderful morning of fabric printing. I layered greens, using stencils and wheat paste resist, to create fabric with the sense of lush growth I want the final work to have.

I set up my fabric painting station outdoors. Beautiful day. Lots of room.

I set up my fabric painting station outdoors. Beautiful day. Lots of room.

Two fabric patterns I created during the paint session.

Two fabric patterns I created during the paint session.

The little girl, so far, is just a pencil sketch on muslin. I love the challenge of blending more than one kind of reality in one work. The windows are a photo-based reality. The greens of the fabric are a surface design reality. The girl will  be a combination – some drawing, some layering of fabrics. I will probably need to do some watercolor-like painting (I work with acrylics) to unify the girl and the background.

bobbibaughstudio-sketch-on-muslin.jpg

As these images go together, I am “listening” to them. What story will they reveal?

Generally, when I create storytelling works I begin with the concept or idea that interests me, then create a composition to convey it. In this one, I know that the combination of the girl and the garden is emotionally compelling to me, but it it not all resolved. This one will evolve and grow.

Like weeds in a garden.

If you would like to see more storytelling works, please visit
the galleries on this website. Here are places to start:

HOME IS WHAT YOU REMEMBER GALLERY
JOURNEYS AND STORIES GALLERY

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER

I always enjoy questions and comments.

Thanks for reading! — Bobbi


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art quilt, storytelling artwork, windows, photo transfers, windows in art, garden, painted fabric
2 Comments
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-april-2019-binding-edge.jpg

There’s life on the edge!

April 10, 2019

I spent the morning in the studio doing hand sewing and listening to NPR.

Sewing by hand is not my normal mode. I don’t use handwork in the body of my works or as added embellishments. The only hand work I do is attaching binding edges.

So as I stitched and listened, I thought about the edges as a chance for creative decision-making..

Painters who work on cradled boards have discovered this. Once it became acceptable for gallery-hung works to display without a frame, painters began to use this space creatively. Some wrap the image around the edge. Some leave the edge a natural wood color or paint it white or black. It’s a nice way to tie a series together.

For quilts, I generally use a strip binding edge, or strip binding combined with facing the quilt, and I try to do so creatively.

Here’s one edge of the piece I was working on this morning.

boobbibaughstudio-quilt-binding-top-edge.jpg

I painted this fabric strip to match other areas of the work. I attached it by machine, trimmed the seam allowance to ¼” edge, then turned the strip so that it would show on the face of the artwork. That’s the top. On the side, I turned the binding to the back so the cream color went off the artwork edge.

I did not want this work to have a boxed-in look with a contrasting binding on four sides. Here is the lower right hand-corner. I have incorporated the black-teal fabric to function visually as a border in the lower corner, although it is actually a part of the face of the quilt. On the bottom edge, I have sewed on the binding strip so that it shows.

bobbibaughstudio-quilt-edge-bottom-binding.jpg

Along the side edge, I turned the strip to the back as a facing so the shapes and patterns of that portion would go off the edge of the piece visually, without being “stopped” by the binding. This work, “Growing Unseen” is 99% done. I’ll be posting it on my web site soon. (Stay tuned.)

Here’s an example of one I completed last year that has no visible binding. “Sometimes you can’t see in.” I feel like this work has a painting-like complexity, and I wanted everything to go off the edge, no stops. (This work has been accepted into the 2019 Juried Art Show at Rocky mount NC, and will exhibit there May 3 – August 18)

bobbibaughstudio-Sometimes-You-Cant-See-In.jpg

I like the way this one looks on the wall.

bobbibaughstudio-sometimes-youcant-see-in-quilt-in-interior-1.jpg

(More info on “Sometimes you Can’t See In” HERE)

In “Every One Has a Different Story”, I added a visible binding on the bottom edge only. (I remembered this one as an example because it is currently hanging in my home, right above my computer screen. As I was typing I looked up and thought “Now there’s a good example!) The colored blocks along the bottom function almost as a sidewalk, and the strip anchors it.

Bobbibaughstudio-Every-One-Has-A-Diff-Story-Quilt.jpg

(More information about “Every One Has a Different Story” can be found HERE)

Now on to some new projects. I have about six sketches for new work ready to tackle. Hmmmmmm. Where to begin?

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail about once a month. 
Subscribe here:  
 STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art quilt, quilt binding, painted fabric, surface design, artwork with windows
2 Comments
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-3-30-19-small-expectations.jpg

In honor of Women’s History Month… Thinking about Expectations

March 30, 2019

What else was there beyond the alley, beyond the neighborhood?

What else was there to be?

I was not taught to ask.

I was not taught to wonder.

I was not taught to dream.

I was taught to soldier on, to be good, and —apparently — not to expect too much

And so, asking, wondering, dreaming, and taking steps to follow my own path came to me late in life. But, hurray! I made it.

I volunteer in a first grade classroom twice a week, and I look with wonder at each little child in my class. They are shining gems, little treasures of possibilities. I don’t know what kinds of homes or families they go home to each day. I can easily imagine the obstacles, hardships and inequities each of them will face as they grow. For each of them my hope is wider expectations, the ability to look, hope and dream beyond whatever smallness may define where they are now.

A few years ago I created “Small Expectations.” I’ll just go ahead and admit that it’s one of my favorite works. I created the image of the two girls in the center, dressed in their go-to-Sunday-School dresses, from a family photo of myself and my sister.  

bobbibaughstudio-small-expectations-one-girl-v.jpg

Behind the girls, I have created a background suggesting their diminished expectations. The words from a mid-twentieth century etiquette book fill the fabric behind them. The symbols of birds indicate the innocence of the girls. The alphabet border and ABC blocks give the work a feel of simplicity and elementary school lessons. Yet, these real and implied life instructions were serious business.

bobbibaughstudio-small-expectations-bird-detail-1.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-small-expectations-bird-in-jar-detail.jpg

For you, little girls… GREAT expectations!

(Small Expectations is 33” x 24”, mounted on a birch panel and framed from the back so the work appears to float 2” from the wall. It is available, on my website HERE.)

(Small Expectations is 33” x 24”, mounted on a birch panel and framed from the back so the work appears to float 2” from the wall. It is available, on my website HERE.)

In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women's History Month in perpetuity. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women. President Jimmy Carter's Message to the nation designated March 2-8, 1980 as National Women's History Week.


BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail about once a month. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER

Thanks for reading. I always enjoy receiving questions and comments.

— Bobbi




In Artmaking Thoughts Tags womens history month, little girls, girls journey, textile collage, photo transfer, etiquette, maryjane shoes, sisters, art quilt
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-becoming-one-with-night-mar-2019.jpg

A Little Video... Art Quilt "Becoming One with the Night" step-by-step

March 4, 2019

I recently put together a little video about the making of this art quilt.

I believe that people appreciate a piece of artwork more when they know what goes into its creation. So, I have tried to address both the inspiration and the step-by-step process.

I remembered one particular part of making this quilt as I reviewed the images:

The underlying structure of squares in tension with the overpainted trees.

I remember that after I had printed and collaged all the individual squares, as I was laying them out in various patterns to finalize the composition, I almost didn’t go any further. I loved the squares. The colors were delicate and the patterns were interesting. I just wanted to look at them.

But, at that stage the piece did not accomplish the emotional goal I had for it. There was no reason for a character to enter the scene if it was just pretty squares. So I proceeded to the overpainting and the final composition.

bobbibaughstudio-becoming-one-with-night-art-quilt-parts.jpg

Now, however, I know they are under there. It is one of the interesting aspects of creating textile works in sections. Even when the sections are not an obvious part of the final design, they are an underlying structure. They are in communication with, sometimes in tension with, whatever layers are on top. All of this adds depth and interest to the work, even when the viewer is not—at first—aware of their presence.

I enjoyed sharing this work in person with visitors during my recent studio tour. I hope you enjoy watching the video.

(The video should show below automatically.

If not, you can find it on You tube, here: )

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags work in progress, in the studio, art quilt, becoming one with the night, blue trees, young woman seated, blue, art video, video
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-1-19-19.jpg

Work in Progress… Surface Design to get the fabric talking

January 19, 2019

I’m in the middle of a new art quilt that will be 40” x 40”. I’ve printed all of the parts and have begun the composition.

I’ve been working this one in sections, quilting as I go.  These sections will function as background, intended to be part of the emotional storytelling. So, I want to get an overall harmony, while still creating splashes of interest that warrant taking a second look, and maybe a sense of surprise.

It’s about “talking to each other,” or that’s how it feels a I create. The pieces don’t have to match, they just have to talk to one another across the whole composition.

bobbibaughstudio-fabric-patterns-with-stitch.jpg

Stitching across the patterns: This block has five pieces, and each one is a pretty strong color pattern. The surface stitching here has a unifying effect. The strong diagonal lines criss-cross the different blocks, giving them a texture that’s in common.

bobbibaughstudio-fabric-variation-on-a-theme.jpg

Theme and variation:  I relief-printed this squiggly line pattern on two different fabrics.  They are not right next to each in the quilt. But I like the harmony created by their same-but-different appearance.

bobbibaughstudio-fabric-stitch-and-spatter.jpg

Stitch and spatter: This block of three also has very strong patterns and I used two ways to bring them into relationship with each other. The stitched pattern is again long connecting lines, but this time in long arcs. I also spatter painted the sections after stitching, creating another unifying element.

Some of my favorite spattering supplies.

Some of my favorite spattering supplies.

(Confession: I just love to spatter. I take the fabrics to the cement area outside my studio, lay them down on the ground, grab my favorite little spatter-producing brush and go for it. I am generally barefoot, and often wear the spatter pattern on my toes and feet for a few days.)

I love the spontaneous and unpredicted things that happen as part of printing and painting fabric. It’s  where the delight and surprise happen. For the overall piece - I am a planner and a sketcher. I definitely have a finished composition in mind when I begin. These small parts will work together to accomplish the quilt’s concept — I hope.  Or they may introduce something new I hadn’t planned.


Thanks for reading. I always welcome questions and comments.

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:  
 STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER




 
In Artmaking Thoughts Tags in the studio, painted fabric, acrylics on fabric, surface design, art quilt, relief print, resist prints
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-living-deeply-detail.jpg

Life Unseen – Life Unexpected

December 3, 2018

I did some studio cleaning last week. And so I rediscovered a newspaper clipping I had saved in 2011.

It has re-appeared in my creative life at just the right time.

I remember being captivated by this little science snippet

news-clipping.jpg

“It will illustrate once again that somehow life finds a way to survive in the strangest and harshest places.” True for microbes. True for human beings. True for hopes and dreams.

When I first started creating textile pieces, I focused on natural scenes and images. What was most interesting to me was the concept of life beneath – life unseen – the mystery of what there is beyond the visible.

For the past year, as I have focused on works about home and memory, what interests me is much the same. What one sees from the outside is not all there is. Inner life is rich, textured, vibrant, layered, full of mystery.  It’s my hope that the works have spoken both to the reality of facades and the reality of resilience.

I have just begun the process of thinking through some new works. I am filling pages in my sketchbook. I am interested in images of water, and juxtaposing them with non-organic patterns and abstract shapes. It’s another way to get at the idea of there being more that’s real than what we see.

I have begun some transfers onto fabric of enlarged text from this news clip, to incorporate into the new pieces. Even if it becomes obscured , I will know it’s there.  “Scientists keep finding germs in places where they don’t expect.” We find life even where it does not seem it should be able to survive.

“Living Deeply” explores the unseen world beneath the surface. On my web site HERE

“Living Deeply” explores the unseen world beneath the surface. On my web site HERE

“Sometimes You Can’t See In,” (DETAIL) suggesting life that is hidden within the home. On my web site HERE.

“Sometimes You Can’t See In,” (DETAIL) suggesting life that is hidden within the home. On my web site HERE.

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art inspiration, in the studio, beneath the surface, secrets, life unexpected, collage, fabric collage, art quilt, monotype prints, monotype collage, rice paper, printed fabric
Comment
blog-bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-row-houses-4.jpg

The old neighborhood... (and the CHAIR - Part II)

November 28, 2018

Looking through my studio files today I found myself looking at this work. This is where life started for me and it’s the place of my earliest memories: a neighborhood of row houses in Baltimore. My family lived there from the time I was born till I entered second grade.

blog-bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-row-houses-6.jpg

For those who have not lived in row house cities — Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston or others throughout the country — the neighborhood may need some explanation. It is not a tenement or slum. It is not a fancy affluent neighborhood of Brownstones or Townhouses. It’s just a family neighborhood. Each block has six to eight houses with no space between them, and then there will be one “end house” that has a side yard and a little bigger back yard. All the houses have street parking out front, no garage, and a small fenced back yard with a gate leading to the alley. The alley is where kids ride bikes and play ball.

blog-bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-row-houses-3.jpg
blog-bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-row-houses-2.jpg

As I worked to capture memories of home in my artmaking this past year, recreating the feeling of a row house neighborhood in fabric seemed like a good fit. I had printed a number of fabric pieces with lively colors and patterns, and they spoke to me of the varied lives and stories inside each home. I also created photo transfers of actual windows onto muslin, and I liked the mix of the photographic reality with the printed fabric. I added the suggestion of leaves and trees.

blog-bobbibaughstudio-art-quilt-row-houses-1.jpg

Like the neighborhood itself – the whole work is one large unified structure. But it’s made of all kinds of pieces. Lots of lives. Lots of stories

“Every One Has A Different Story” - Art Quilt - more information on my web site here:bobbibaughstudio.com/home-is-what-you-remember-gallery/every-one-has-a-different-story

“Every One Has A Different Story” - Art Quilt - more information on my web site here:

bobbibaughstudio.com/home-is-what-you-remember-gallery/every-one-has-a-different-story

THE CHAIR – Part II

I’ve done a little more on my chair project to be auctioned at an event in January. (Chair creations by local artists will be a fundraiser for public arts projects here in DeLand.) Today I started some structural fixes. The seat had been cracked and glued back together. Extra reinforcement seems like a good idea. So I’ve sanded the bottom, cut a piece of plywood to fit the bottom, and will glue and screw it in place. I will probably cover all this with felt.  Next: Beginning the fabric printing of the upholstery.

bobbibaughstudio-chair-project-part-II.jpg

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here: 
BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER



In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art quilt, in the studio, baltimore, row houses, memories of home, surface design, painted fabric, acrylics on fabric, monotype, photo transfers
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-11-15-18.jpg

Speaking of Mary Poppins…

November 15, 2018

Thinking about my art talk tomorrow at Arts on Douglas Gallery, I remembered today the movie “Saving Mr. Banks,” a wonderful on-screen portrayal of P.L. Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins books. It is providing a vision.

In the screen version, one of the opening scenes shows Travers as a girl, a close-up shot of her lying in a field of grass constructing a tiny house out of twigs and grass. She was making a little home. The unfolding of the plot revealed how much she needed a make-believe home, because her real home life was so full of hurt and sadness.

Emma Stone portrays P.L. Travers as an adult during the transformation of her Mary Poppins books into Disney’s well-know musical movie version. It was a heart-wrenching journey for Travers, as her story became everything she did not want it to be. In one poignant scene, she leaves a stressful meeting and retreats to a place outdoors, sits on the grass, and begins to construct a tiny home. A refuge. I was sobbing and sniffling!

The Mary Poppins stories are not autobiographical. But their essence was informed by the author’s life. She took what she had experienced and translated it into her art: children’s stories. A few details were specific. An Aunt who came to visit and take care of her family was a non-nonsense umbrella-carrying woman. Mary Poppins? But, for the most part, the author’s works are a combination of dreams, memories, emotions and her artist’s craft to create a new reality.

This has been my experience in creating the series “Home is What You Remember.” It’s about home. And my experience of home, with an intentional memory of a child’s way of looking at things, has informed the images and the process. While not strictly autobiographical, it reveals realities I know to be true:

Outside and Inside do not always match.

bobbibaughstudio-remember-it-in-pieces-for-blog-11-15-18.jpg

It may or may not be possible to know what’s inside by looking from without.

bobbibaughstudio-sometimes-can-see-in-on-blog-11-15-18.jpg

 

Homes can be fragile.

bobbibaughstudio-so-it-will-not-break-on-blog-11-15-18.jpg

 

Things change.


bobbibaughstudio-float-away-in-dreams-on-blog-11-15-18.jpg

People experience home in time: as experiences unfold, and later in memory.

bobbibaughstudio-keep-homes-inside-for-blog-11-15-18.jpg

We carry our homes inside us.

The lives of the people in homes are varied, colorful, richly textured.

BOBBIBAUGHSTUDIO-CONTAINED-WITHIN-FOR-BLOG-11-15-18.jpg

And, in all of this, I hope to use my artmaking methods and abilities to create realities that are interesting, pleasing to look at and discover, and offer new discoveries over time.

All the works in the series “Home is What You Remember” are on my web site, HERE.


BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:  
 STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER




In Artmaking Thoughts Tags home is what you remember, memories of home, art blog, art quilt, storytelling art, arts on douglas gallery, memories, surface design, painted fabric, textile collage, mary poppins
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-stories-contained-quilt-blog-header.jpg

Peeking inside the neighbors' walls – imagining their stories and secrets

November 8, 2018

Can I peek into the inner stories of a household, and at the same time create images that form something pleasing and interesting to look at?

I hope so. That’s been my focus for a year, creating the series, “Home is What You Remember.” The story is the heart. But, in order to learn the story, there has to be a work that’s interesting and compelling.

I was looking again today at the work depicting a row house neighborhood inhabited by birds: “The Stories Contained Within.” I like the juxtaposition of simple houses with complex stories.

bobbibaughstudio-the-stories-contained-within-1

From a distance, this work has bold colors, interesting shapes, a child-like simplicity. From mid-range, you might start to be interested in the textures and patterns and might begin to notice the various surface design techniques. In this work, I mixed using direct painting, stencils, monotype printing and relief printing.

Close-up, the stories begin to pose questions.

I am interested in exploring visual methods to show the relationships between characters and their personal stories. I think about this subject a lot, and I want to keep developing imagery and symbols that dig into the concept. For this work, I chose birds and jars.

The birds and the jars are related to each other differently in each home. In one, a bird is inside a jar. In several, the bird is outside the jar. The birds are not shaped or positioned the same. We inhabit stories and secrets in different ways. And yet, all of this complexity takes place in a simplified neighborhood suggesting connected row houses, all the same from the outside.

bobbibaughstudio-stories-contained-within-detail.jpg

Stepping back to provide more clues about the homes and their dwellers, I used an oblique baseline for the houses, and repeated it in the pieced shape in the purple sky. Things are askew.

When a patron invites a piece of work into their home, they plan to  “live” with it for a long time. I believe that unique elements and an authentic story can make every viewing a new experience. Peeking in from close up or from across the room, I hope the images compel a second look.

bobbibaughstudio-sories-they-contain-quilt-over-fireplace.jpg

More information about “The Stories Contained Within”
is available on my web site
HERE

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:  
 STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art quilt, birds, storytelling artwrk, row houses, painted fabric
Comment
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!

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:  
 STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER



In Artmaking Thoughts Tags art blog, art quilt, stencils, surface design, composition, working thorugh problems, birds, blue, teal, purple, twig patterns
3 Comments
bobbibaughstudio-blog-header-9-19-18.jpg

Working through the ugly stage… a work in progress

September 19, 2018

Maybe ugly is too strong a word.

I’ll go with “isn’t-working-for-me.” Yet.

There’s a lot I like about this work-in-progress. I think the sketch and composition are strong. I was inspired by a photo I had seen from a bird watching group. A single song bird among an intricate thicket of twigs and branches created a strong silhouette. I envisioned those twigs creating an abstract, linear background in which to discover the bird. I flipped the bird mirror-image to add another one. I like the addition of the leaves as solid abstract shapes. Here’s the sketch at full size on my easel (about 36”H x 45”W)

bobbibaughstudio-bird-sketch-on-easel.jpg


I also like the palette a lot. The background teal-violet of the washed-in trees was painted wet-into-wet on sheer fabric. I like the patterns and colors.

And to accompany the background fabric, I have printed new fabrics to put into the composition. The monotype roots pattern in shades of blue is especially pleasing to me.

bobbibaughstudio-blue-composition-closeup-1.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-bluecomposition-closeup-2.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-blue-composition-closeup-3.jpg
bobbibaughstudio-blue-roots-detail-s.jpg

Here’s what I have assembled so far (collaged and stitched) on my easel.

bobbibaughstudio-blue-composition-on-easel.jpg

I am going to complete the stenciled images of the two birds and the balance of the twigs as I have sketched.

Then I think I will have to sit back and ponder this awhile. My hunch is that the branch and twig shapes I liked in the sketch don’t recreate sufficiently the complexity of what I loved in the photo. I can add more, finer twigs and increase the abstraction. I may also be able to relief print some organic twig shapes from the same bundle of roots I used to monotype print the two-tone roots at the bottom. (Those were done as stencils in multiple passes on a gelatin plate.)

And, somewhere, I’ll need at least a splash of something that’s not blue so this is not so monochromatic.

This is going to work. I am telling myself that, believing in what I see already working.

I’m just not sure how to do it yet!

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   
STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags textile collage, birds, songbirds, abstractpatterns, blue, art quilt, work in progress, in my studio, art blog, surface design
Comment
bobbibaughstudio-painting-night-image.jpg

Revisiting the Night

September 5, 2018

I recently submitted this work for an exhibit. That process caused me to look at it closely again, as it was on my computer screen in detailed enlargements. I remembered the process.

Some things went as planned. Some things I had not expected.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted the feel of nighttime. I wanted to recreate the sensation of being outside on a cool evening, dipping one’s toes into the night air.

I had a nice reference photo to work from. My neighbor, a lovely young woman, had come over to my house to pose for me. The porch is my porch. But, in the process of creating the composition, I did some angle adjusting and some perspective playing, making it more interesting than the original photo had been.

I worked almost exclusively with sheer fabrics as I printed the images. This created a watercolor-wash feel that worked well with the feel of dream and memory I hoped to create.

bobbibaughstudio-trees-on-worktable.jpg

I worked this piece in squares. That’s not my normal way of constructing pieces. But it created some tensions that I found interesting. I don’t think the squares jump out immediately, but they are there, as a background architecture behind the trees. The trees overlapping the grid and working in relation to it create a nice tension of foreground and background. And, because I did not use squares in the section with the young woman, she is in a reality somewhat separated from everything else.

Finally, as I look again closely at this work I think of the woman it depicts. What is she thinking? What is she remembering? That is the mystery of the work

nl---12---finished.jpg
Becoming One With The Night  2017  35" x 45"In the Journeys and Stories and Galleries Gallery, HERE

Becoming One With The Night  2017  35" x 45"
In the Journeys and Stories and Galleries Gallery, HERE

In Artmaking Thoughts Tags in the studio, art quilt, nighttime, blue, trees, blue trees, memories, acrylics, surface design, painted fabrics
1 Comment
bobbibaughstudio-blog-post-header-8-18.jpg

Three Simple Houses. And More.

August 17, 2018

Three simple little houses.  Child-like in their form.

But there’s a lot going on in these houses, and I want it all to be an invitation to enter the story and to bring to it your own memories and dreams of home.

What’s inside the windows? Some reveal the interior, some reflect back the outside world.

Look inside the houses. Trees and growth. How would they be a part of the narrative?

The background is filled with the colors of forest shadows, with a horizon line that’s askew.

Two houses are broken open. One is not.

Yet the houses themselves are filled with crayon-box cheerful colors and lively, dancing patterns and shapes.

Like real homes, these three structures reveal that inside and outside don’t always match and that stories are usually not simple.

The video shows my process of creating this art quilt. I constructed each house from fabric -- printing, collaging and stitching -- and then placed them in the background. As I worked it felt very much like creating a play: constructing characters, building a set, and then placing them together onstage.

I hope you enjoy seeing the process.

 

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags video, in my studio, work in progress, art quilt, textile artwork, collage, textile collage, photo transfer, surface design, printed fabric, home memories of home storytelling artwork
2 Comments
bobbibaughstudio-water-home-in-progress-2-images.jpg

Water + Home… putting together two powerful images

August 12, 2018

In my studio this week I have begun a series of smaller art quilts that are simple compositions combining images of home with images of water, and tree silhouettes connecting the two.

This feels completely natural to me. As I construct the house sections, piecing in reflecting waterlilies or photo transfers of rippling water intuitively seems just right.

And yet – logically – water and a home are not a good mix. Nobody wants to find water seeping in from a wall or roof. The term “underwater” regarding a home is not desirable. And severe weather can damage or destroy a home with water.

So, I’ve been thinking through what this is about. I think that what I like about water is its quality of hidden life. I find it mesmerizing to sit by a body of water and just look down into the surface. Below there is another world. Sometimes life forms are visible: fish, moving plants. Much of the life is microscopic and invisible. But it’s there.

At the same time that it is mysterious, water is soothing. Imagine the sound of moving water. Waves against a beach. Ripples and splashes over rocks. People are just drawn to the sound of water.

The series of art pieces I’m creating about home invites viewers to enter their memories and dreams of home. It is not intended to be a logical journey, but an emotional one.

The water forms inside are a vehicle to enter that emotional place of remembering.

Detail - Art quilt in progress

Detail - Art quilt in progress

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,
please subscribe here:  BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories,
as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts,
I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.
You’ll hear from me by e-mail every two to three weeks. 
Subscribe here:   STUDIO-INSIDER-NEWSLETTER


In Artmaking Thoughts Tags artblog, work in progress, in the studio, art quilt, textile, textile collage, home, memories of home, photo trensfers, water, blue
Comment
Older Posts →

Please sign up to receive new blog posts via e-mail

SUBSCRIBE


Welcome

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

  • May 2025
    • May 25, 2025 Seeing Possibilities May 25, 2025
    • May 18, 2025 Pattern Practicing May 18, 2025
    • May 4, 2025 Glorious Color May 4, 2025
  • April 2025
    • Apr 27, 2025 Beyond the Trees. What’s Next? Apr 27, 2025
    • Apr 20, 2025 Three brave women Apr 20, 2025
    • Apr 13, 2025 Some Found-Object Printing Step-by-Step Apr 13, 2025
    • Apr 6, 2025 To Future Historians Apr 6, 2025
  • March 2025
    • Mar 30, 2025 Organic Complexity! Mar 30, 2025
    • Mar 23, 2025 Trees Don't Do... Mar 23, 2025
    • Mar 16, 2025 LEAF LESSONS Mar 16, 2025
    • Mar 9, 2025 Feeling My Way Along the Path Mar 9, 2025
    • Mar 2, 2025 Studio Tour Musings Mar 2, 2025
  • February 2025
    • Feb 23, 2025 Reminders. Like warm Rocks Feb 23, 2025
    • Feb 16, 2025 Work-in-Progress . . . and meanwhile Feb 16, 2025
    • Feb 9, 2025 Familiar Forms Feb 9, 2025
    • Feb 2, 2025 Not every brick Feb 2, 2025
  • January 2025
    • Jan 26, 2025 Into the Light Jan 26, 2025
    • Jan 19, 2025 The fairytale forest Jan 19, 2025
    • Jan 12, 2025 Pulling – Connecting – The Memory Threads Jan 12, 2025
    • Jan 5, 2025 Don’t Go Hiking Alone! Jan 5, 2025
  • December 2024
    • Dec 29, 2024 Envisioning. Prepping. Beginning. Dec 29, 2024
    • Dec 15, 2024 Celebrating the Messages of Birds Dec 15, 2024
    • Dec 8, 2024 Composition Study Dec 8, 2024
    • Dec 1, 2024 Look at your own art. And Learn Dec 1, 2024
  • November 2024
    • Nov 24, 2024 How It Gets There Nov 24, 2024
    • Nov 17, 2024 Theme and Variations: Blue Nov 17, 2024
    • Nov 10, 2024 Thoughts from the Interior Nov 10, 2024
    • Nov 3, 2024 Harmony and Differences Nov 3, 2024
  • October 2024
    • Oct 27, 2024 After the Fire Oct 27, 2024
    • Oct 20, 2024 Talking about art Oct 20, 2024
    • Oct 13, 2024 Contrasts and Connections Oct 13, 2024
    • Oct 6, 2024 Discovering What is There Oct 6, 2024
  • September 2024
    • Sep 29, 2024 Reimagining a concept Sep 29, 2024
    • Sep 22, 2024 A “Yes” and some “Maybes” Sep 22, 2024
    • Sep 15, 2024 Art-Thinking Inspiration Sep 15, 2024
    • Sep 8, 2024 Kicking Leaves Sep 8, 2024
    • Sep 1, 2024 The Pull of Water Sep 1, 2024
  • August 2024
    • Aug 25, 2024 Bearing Witness Aug 25, 2024
    • Aug 18, 2024 Sienna discoveries Aug 18, 2024
    • Aug 11, 2024 Studio Buried Treasure Aug 11, 2024
    • Aug 4, 2024 Bobbi’s Blog 8-4-24… Underwater Evolution Aug 4, 2024
  • July 2024
    • Jul 28, 2024 From idea to image on fabric Jul 28, 2024
    • Jul 21, 2024 Puttin' My Feet Up Jul 21, 2024
    • Jul 14, 2024 Giving the Paint Someplace To Go Jul 14, 2024
    • Jul 7, 2024 Part II: Still Life Experiments Jul 7, 2024
  • June 2024
    • Jun 30, 2024 Still Life Experimenting Jun 30, 2024
    • Jun 23, 2024 Water Drops Jun 23, 2024
    • Jun 16, 2024 Simply. Pleasing. Printing Jun 16, 2024
    • Jun 9, 2024 Pod Image Experiments Jun 9, 2024
    • Jun 2, 2024 Printing Patterns – Same and Different Jun 2, 2024
  • May 2024
    • May 26, 2024 Diving Into Green May 26, 2024
    • May 19, 2024 Workin’ Fast N Loose May 19, 2024
    • May 12, 2024 Bringing Leaves to Life May 12, 2024
    • May 5, 2024 Looking into water May 5, 2024
  • April 2024
    • Apr 28, 2024 Side by Side Composing Apr 28, 2024
    • Apr 21, 2024 Musical Patterns Apr 21, 2024
    • Apr 14, 2024 Bobbi’s Blog 4-14-24… Absorbing – The vocabulary of life. Apr 14, 2024
    • Apr 7, 2024 Learning from the Paint Apr 7, 2024
  • March 2024
    • Mar 31, 2024 Colors: Neutrals and Complements Mar 31, 2024
    • Mar 24, 2024 About bravery Mar 24, 2024
    • Mar 17, 2024 In the beginning was… Mar 17, 2024
    • Mar 10, 2024 Experiencing Rhythms. Patterns. Bummers. Mar 10, 2024
    • Mar 3, 2024 C’mom in! Mar 3, 2024
  • February 2024
    • Feb 25, 2024 Saying (Writing) The Next Word Feb 25, 2024
    • Feb 18, 2024 Printing-Deep-Color-Builds Feb 18, 2024
    • Feb 11, 2024 Sketchbook Lessons Feb 11, 2024
    • Feb 4, 2024 Theme and Variation – Color Feb 4, 2024
  • January 2024
    • Jan 28, 2024 Light in the Attic Window Jan 28, 2024
    • Jan 21, 2024 The box on the porch. And other surprises. Jan 21, 2024
    • Jan 14, 2024 Color in Context Jan 14, 2024
    • Jan 7, 2024 Through What’s-Between to the Memory. Jan 7, 2024
  • December 2023
    • Dec 31, 2023 The Parts Come Together Dec 31, 2023
    • Dec 24, 2023 Unexpected Studio Visitor Dec 24, 2023
    • Dec 17, 2023 The Good of Simple Dec 17, 2023
    • Dec 10, 2023 Home is Where… Dec 10, 2023
    • Dec 3, 2023 The Making of the Bread Dec 3, 2023
  • November 2023
    • Nov 26, 2023 The deep longing for Art Nov 26, 2023
    • Nov 19, 2023 Bringing Things Along Nov 19, 2023
    • Nov 12, 2023 Getting a do-over. To get it right. Nov 12, 2023
    • Nov 5, 2023 Screen Printing Stick Patterns Nov 5, 2023
  • October 2023
    • Oct 29, 2023 Surface Design and going INTO the story Oct 29, 2023
    • Oct 22, 2023 On the Road Oct 22, 2023
    • Oct 15, 2023 Entering Sacred Spaces Oct 15, 2023
    • Oct 8, 2023 Gut-Punch Art Oct 8, 2023
    • Oct 1, 2023 A peek behind the scenes Oct 1, 2023
  • September 2023
    • Sep 24, 2023 The story comes together Sep 24, 2023
    • Sep 17, 2023 Experiments: Relief Printing Sep 17, 2023
    • Sep 10, 2023 Remembering ABC Sep 10, 2023
    • Sep 3, 2023 Art from the soil Sep 3, 2023
  • August 2023
    • Aug 27, 2023 The story that was already there Aug 27, 2023
    • Aug 20, 2023 Artmaking Rhythms Aug 20, 2023
    • Aug 13, 2023 Bobbi’s Blog 8-13-23… Scaling things UP! Aug 13, 2023
    • Aug 6, 2023 Reaching into the depths Aug 6, 2023
  • July 2023
    • Jul 30, 2023 Edging into Ideas Jul 30, 2023
    • Jul 23, 2023 Shipping – Showing - Storing Jul 23, 2023
    • Jul 16, 2023 A little orange magic Jul 16, 2023
    • Jul 9, 2023 Ideas Evolve Jul 9, 2023
    • Jul 2, 2023 Some Screen Printing Jul 2, 2023
  • June 2023
    • Jun 25, 2023 Beast on the Loose! Jun 25, 2023
    • Jun 18, 2023 Listening With Your Eyes Jun 18, 2023
    • Jun 11, 2023 Hand Printing Patterns Jun 11, 2023
    • Jun 4, 2023 A bird environment work-in-progress Jun 4, 2023
  • May 2023
    • May 28, 2023 Some envisioning required here May 28, 2023
    • May 21, 2023 Meanwhile, outside the studio May 21, 2023
    • May 14, 2023 Making Art That Speaks to You May 14, 2023
    • May 7, 2023 Hard to Resist May 7, 2023
  • April 2023
    • Apr 30, 2023 In the Forest Apr 30, 2023
    • Apr 23, 2023 “Click.” Photo. Now what? Apr 23, 2023
    • Apr 16, 2023 What Shall I take into the Studio today? Apr 16, 2023
    • Apr 9, 2023 Is Like a Day Without Sunshine Apr 9, 2023
    • Apr 2, 2023 Some days are like this Apr 2, 2023
  • March 2023
    • Mar 26, 2023 Constructing a First Layer Mar 26, 2023
    • Mar 19, 2023 What will you be when you grow up? Mar 19, 2023
    • Mar 12, 2023 Finding your window time Mar 12, 2023
    • Mar 5, 2023 Presentation is . . . Mar 5, 2023
  • February 2023
    • Feb 26, 2023 But something was missing Feb 26, 2023
    • Feb 19, 2023 After the idea, Before the Construction Feb 19, 2023
    • Feb 12, 2023 A walk through the studio Feb 12, 2023
    • Feb 5, 2023 Inside a Child’s World Feb 5, 2023
  • January 2023
    • Jan 29, 2023 Memory Shadows Jan 29, 2023
    • Jan 22, 2023 Work -- Ideas -- in progress Jan 22, 2023
    • Jan 15, 2023 Composing with real objects Jan 15, 2023
    • Jan 8, 2023 Thinking about “Things” and Words Jan 8, 2023
    • Jan 1, 2023 Neutral Thoughts (and not so neutral thoughts) Jan 1, 2023
  • December 2022
    • Dec 25, 2022 Inspirations Dec 25, 2022
    • Dec 18, 2022 Edges – Crisp or Squishy Dec 18, 2022
    • Dec 11, 2022 See what you Get. And Then. . . Dec 11, 2022
  • November 2022
    • Nov 27, 2022 Within the artwork - a journey Nov 27, 2022
    • Nov 20, 2022 From the Streets Nov 20, 2022
    • Nov 13, 2022 Creating artwork. Showing artwork. Nov 13, 2022
    • Nov 6, 2022 Finding Meaning in the Small Nov 6, 2022
  • October 2022
    • Oct 30, 2022 Returning to an idea Oct 30, 2022
    • Oct 23, 2022 Design and Collage – Some Ideas and Tips Oct 23, 2022
    • Oct 16, 2022 How She Got There Oct 16, 2022
    • Oct 9, 2022 Building Color on Color Oct 9, 2022
    • Oct 2, 2022 After the Storm Oct 2, 2022
  • September 2022
    • Sep 25, 2022 This 'n That and finishing touches Sep 25, 2022
    • Sep 18, 2022 Ideas in a small space Sep 18, 2022
    • Sep 11, 2022 Building Layers toward Warm Sep 11, 2022
    • Sep 4, 2022 Working out ideas (over and over!) Sep 4, 2022
  • August 2022
    • Aug 28, 2022 Hello Old Friend Aug 28, 2022
    • Aug 21, 2022 About horizons and abstraction Aug 21, 2022
    • Aug 14, 2022 Sticks. Twigs. Branches. I like ‘em all Aug 14, 2022
    • Aug 7, 2022 In the studio for some screen printing Aug 7, 2022
  • July 2022
    • Jul 31, 2022 Where Do Ideas Come From? Jul 31, 2022
    • Jul 24, 2022 "Home" as visual prose. "Home" as visual poem Jul 24, 2022
    • Jul 17, 2022 All in green: Leaves and shapes Jul 17, 2022
    • Jul 10, 2022 Collage Transitions and Connections Jul 10, 2022
    • Jul 3, 2022 Natural edge collage: Work-in-Progress Jul 3, 2022
  • June 2022
    • Jun 26, 2022 Art that’s ABOUT something Jun 26, 2022
    • Jun 19, 2022 Proving that I am Me Jun 19, 2022
    • Jun 12, 2022 What am I to make of that? Jun 12, 2022
    • Jun 5, 2022 Messages from the birds Jun 5, 2022
  • May 2022
    • May 29, 2022 In the Studio… Is it Working? May 29, 2022
    • May 22, 2022 Just What I Needed to Be Doing May 22, 2022
    • May 15, 2022 Wading deeper into the water May 15, 2022
    • May 8, 2022 Jumping back into the water May 8, 2022
    • May 1, 2022 Variety without Hodge-Podge May 1, 2022
  • April 2022
    • Apr 24, 2022 All about the surface Apr 24, 2022
    • Apr 17, 2022 Simple Methods – Interesting Images Apr 17, 2022
    • Apr 10, 2022 Sun – Porch – Sketchbook Apr 10, 2022
    • Apr 3, 2022 Depth Beyond the Trees Apr 3, 2022
  • March 2022
    • Mar 27, 2022 The Safe Harbor of Strong Women Mar 27, 2022
    • Mar 20, 2022 Creating parts with a voice Mar 20, 2022
    • Mar 13, 2022 Sand and Water and Memories Mar 13, 2022
    • Mar 6, 2022 Studio Tour Take-Aways Mar 6, 2022
  • February 2022
    • Feb 27, 2022 Cleaning. And other artful projects. Feb 27, 2022
    • Feb 20, 2022 Orange Power Feb 20, 2022
    • Feb 13, 2022 Beginnings Feb 13, 2022
    • Feb 6, 2022 TEXT as an artwork element Feb 6, 2022
  • January 2022
    • Jan 30, 2022 Art. Power. Practice. Jan 30, 2022
    • Jan 23, 2022 My Studio Choices Jan 23, 2022
    • Jan 16, 2022 I wonder if I could do it again? Jan 16, 2022
    • Jan 9, 2022 The tangible. And what stirs the pot. Jan 9, 2022
    • Jan 2, 2022 Exploring Layers and Depth Jan 2, 2022
  • December 2021
    • Dec 26, 2021 Here we are. A time in-between. Dec 26, 2021
    • Dec 19, 2021 Some Hand Printing. And Why Dec 19, 2021
    • Dec 12, 2021 Beginning a New Project Dec 12, 2021
    • Dec 5, 2021 Whaddaya Think of This? Dec 5, 2021
  • November 2021
    • Nov 28, 2021 Pivot, Hold on, Move On Nov 28, 2021
    • Nov 21, 2021 Report from the street.. Fall Festival of the Arts DeLand Nov 21, 2021
    • Nov 14, 2021 More Than Just the Making Nov 14, 2021
    • Nov 7, 2021 The very air Nov 7, 2021
  • October 2021
    • Oct 31, 2021 Through the WIndow Oct 31, 2021
    • Oct 24, 2021 Letting the Underneath Show Through Oct 24, 2021
    • Oct 17, 2021 Believing You Can Fly Oct 17, 2021
    • Oct 10, 2021 Projects Across the finish line Oct 10, 2021
    • Oct 3, 2021 A Favorite Chair Revisited Oct 3, 2021
  • September 2021
    • Sep 26, 2021 It just wasn’t right the first time. Sep 26, 2021
    • Sep 19, 2021 Learning from the details Sep 19, 2021
    • Sep 12, 2021 Getting’ out with other artists Sep 12, 2021
    • Sep 5, 2021 Watercolor Sky Sep 5, 2021
  • August 2021
    • Aug 29, 2021 CIRCLES Aug 29, 2021
    • Aug 22, 2021 Landscapes 3 Ways Aug 22, 2021
    • Aug 15, 2021 Words about words about art Aug 15, 2021
    • Aug 8, 2021 Clean Lines, Angles, and Fuzzy Edges. Aug 8, 2021
    • Aug 1, 2021 Welcome to my Working Space Aug 1, 2021
  • July 2021
    • Jul 25, 2021 Printmaking and Collaging Jul 25, 2021
    • Jul 18, 2021 The Mystery of Water Jul 18, 2021
    • Jul 11, 2021 A bit of Watercolor. Hello Old Friend Jul 11, 2021
    • Jul 4, 2021 Soaking in and Listening Jul 4, 2021
  • June 2021
    • Jun 27, 2021 What came next: Wheat Paste Resist Jun 27, 2021
    • Jun 20, 2021 Fabric Printing - Elton John adventure Jun 20, 2021
    • Jun 13, 2021 How to Show What’s Behind Jun 13, 2021
    • Jun 6, 2021 Breathe In and Know... Jun 6, 2021
  • May 2021
    • May 30, 2021 Backdoor Memories May 30, 2021
    • May 23, 2021 Wading into Serenity May 23, 2021
    • May 16, 2021 No Sewing today. Guess I’ll print May 16, 2021
    • May 9, 2021 From a Florida (but, not) artist May 9, 2021
    • May 2, 2021 It began with the two girls May 2, 2021
  • April 2021
    • Apr 25, 2021 From Bobbi’s Blog 4-25-21… Inspiration from changing pace Apr 25, 2021
    • Apr 18, 2021 Art – Poetry – Art Apr 18, 2021
    • Apr 11, 2021 A Secret Garden (Re)Discovered Apr 11, 2021
    • Apr 4, 2021 Some unexpected monotypes Apr 4, 2021
  • March 2021
    • Mar 28, 2021 What to do When You're Stuck Mar 28, 2021
    • Mar 21, 2021 From thought to Underwater Sunlight Mar 21, 2021
    • Mar 14, 2021 Between Make-Believe and Memory Mar 14, 2021
    • Mar 7, 2021 Doing the Work Mar 7, 2021
  • February 2021
    • Feb 28, 2021 We Keep Our Homes Inside Us Feb 28, 2021
    • Feb 21, 2021 Variations on a (Printmaking) theme Feb 21, 2021
    • Feb 14, 2021 Some Surface Design Basics Feb 14, 2021
    • Feb 7, 2021 The face on my easel Feb 7, 2021
  • January 2021
    • Jan 31, 2021 Float Away in Dreams Jan 31, 2021
    • Jan 24, 2021 Reaching for Stars Jan 24, 2021
    • Jan 17, 2021 Starting the day. Capturing a moment. Jan 17, 2021
    • Jan 10, 2021 Sharing Some Studio Trade Secrets Jan 10, 2021
    • Jan 3, 2021 Letting Each Color Do Its Work Jan 3, 2021
  • December 2020
    • Dec 27, 2020 It’s good for you. (Like Spinach!) Dec 27, 2020
    • Dec 20, 2020 Peace in the in-between Dec 20, 2020
    • Dec 13, 2020 What greeted me this morning Dec 13, 2020
    • Dec 6, 2020 Inspiration! Now What? Dec 6, 2020
  • November 2020
    • Nov 29, 2020 Primaries. Mostly. Nov 29, 2020
    • Nov 22, 2020 Sidewalks. Memory. Inspiration. Nov 22, 2020
    • Nov 15, 2020 Words and Images Nov 15, 2020
    • Nov 8, 2020 Artmaking from the gut Nov 8, 2020
    • Nov 1, 2020 Which Approach? Nov 1, 2020
  • October 2020
    • Oct 25, 2020 I LIKE COMPOSITION BEST Oct 25, 2020
    • Oct 18, 2020 What is the color of light? Oct 18, 2020
    • Oct 11, 2020 While Approaching the Distance Oct 11, 2020
    • Oct 4, 2020 Above the water. Into the Water. Oct 4, 2020
  • September 2020
    • Sep 27, 2020 Rediscovering Still Life Sep 27, 2020
    • Sep 20, 2020 Thank You, cream cheese and butter Sep 20, 2020
    • Sep 13, 2020 Art about US – What unites, divides US Sep 13, 2020
    • Sep 6, 2020 Digging (and Stitching) into Rocks Sep 6, 2020
  • August 2020
    • Aug 30, 2020 Printing a Forest Aug 30, 2020
    • Aug 23, 2020 Looking THROUGH – in a coupla ways Aug 23, 2020
    • Aug 16, 2020 Adding characters to the story Aug 16, 2020
    • Aug 9, 2020 Grass. Not always greener Aug 9, 2020
    • Aug 2, 2020 WORDS -- ART -- WORDS Aug 2, 2020
  • July 2020
    • Jul 26, 2020 Thinking about the blues Jul 26, 2020
    • Jul 19, 2020 From Inspiration to out-the-door… Jul 19, 2020
    • Jul 12, 2020 Wading into the River's Edge... Printmaking Pleasure Jul 12, 2020
    • Jul 5, 2020 I wonder what that cow is looking at? Jul 5, 2020
  • June 2020
    • Jun 28, 2020 One Thing Leads to Another Jun 28, 2020
    • Jun 21, 2020 Beginning (Seeing) a New Thing Jun 21, 2020
    • Jun 14, 2020 Want to Fly Away? Jun 14, 2020
    • Jun 7, 2020 Listening. Hearing. Jun 7, 2020
  • May 2020
    • May 31, 2020 Problem-solving and details May 31, 2020
    • May 17, 2020 Just a Bit of Watercolor Sky May 17, 2020
    • May 10, 2020 Printing Life Beneath the Waves May 10, 2020
    • May 3, 2020 Turns out the next step was honeycomb May 3, 2020
  • April 2020
    • Apr 26, 2020 Looking through the leaves Apr 26, 2020
    • Apr 19, 2020 The job of little girls. Figuring things out. Apr 19, 2020
    • Apr 12, 2020 WHAT’S UNDER THERE? MYSTERIES AWAIT Apr 12, 2020
    • Apr 5, 2020 The good life. That didn’t make any sense. Apr 5, 2020
  • March 2020
    • Mar 29, 2020 From my blog 3-29-2020… A big deal in the big city Mar 29, 2020
    • Mar 22, 2020 Life Beneath the Garden Mar 22, 2020
    • Mar 15, 2020 OLD NEWS - The Inside Story Mar 15, 2020
    • Mar 8, 2020 Up to my elbows in photo transfers. Why? Mar 8, 2020
    • Mar 1, 2020 Fearless! Mar 1, 2020
  • February 2020
    • Feb 24, 2020 New projects brewing Feb 24, 2020
    • Feb 18, 2020 Look! I ‘m juggling. (But I’m really just…) Feb 18, 2020
    • Feb 9, 2020 Working large-to-small. Then back again. Feb 9, 2020
    • Feb 2, 2020 A work-in-progress... teal-rust-violet composition Feb 2, 2020
  • January 2020
    • Jan 26, 2020 Piecing Things Together in the Studio Jan 26, 2020
    • Jan 14, 2020 First the little girl. Now the story. Jan 14, 2020
    • Jan 6, 2020 Where does inspiration come from? Jan 6, 2020
  • December 2019
    • Dec 29, 2019 Thank you, Mr. Samuelson (my geometry teacher) Dec 29, 2019
    • Dec 15, 2019 It Can Be So Small a Thing... Dec 15, 2019
    • Dec 1, 2019 Stepping back in (Southern) time Dec 1, 2019
  • November 2019
    • Nov 25, 2019 People Ask... Nov 25, 2019
    • Nov 17, 2019 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Collage-in-progress Nov 17, 2019
    • Nov 11, 2019 Art-Looking. Art-making. Different. And the Same Nov 11, 2019
    • Nov 3, 2019 GRASSY INTRICACIES Nov 3, 2019
  • October 2019
    • Oct 27, 2019 Have a seat. Here, in my favorite chair Oct 27, 2019
    • Oct 20, 2019 A new project – at the beginning of the process Oct 20, 2019
    • Oct 14, 2019 Achey ladder legs and lots of talking Oct 14, 2019
    • Oct 5, 2019 Grey, Grey, Soft Grey, Grey Oct 5, 2019
  • September 2019
    • Sep 23, 2019 Magical Transparency Sep 23, 2019
    • Sep 15, 2019 Returning to the Burned House… Depicting What is Not There Sep 15, 2019
    • Sep 8, 2019 What Can You Learn From A Vase and a Flower? Sep 8, 2019
  • August 2019
    • Aug 31, 2019 Enjoying the big (tedious) reveal Aug 31, 2019
    • Aug 24, 2019 Going home. Going through the door. Aug 24, 2019
    • Aug 16, 2019 The burned house… portraying what is not there Aug 16, 2019
    • Aug 10, 2019 Art in the big city… How would YOU answer the question? Aug 10, 2019
    • Aug 4, 2019 An honest, seeking question… Aug 4, 2019
  • July 2019
    • Jul 26, 2019 Working backwards as a creative process Jul 26, 2019
    • Jul 19, 2019 Long distance is just not the same Jul 19, 2019
    • Jul 13, 2019 Step-by-step: Watch a Florida river scene come to life Jul 13, 2019
    • Jul 5, 2019 My Little Slice of America Jul 5, 2019
  • June 2019
    • Jun 29, 2019 Same view. Different Things to See Jun 29, 2019
    • Jun 15, 2019 Translating by Trying it Out Jun 15, 2019
    • Jun 8, 2019 This is a test. Only a test. (But it’s a good one!) Jun 8, 2019
    • Jun 2, 2019 Collage Confessions (And a few tips) Jun 2, 2019
  • May 2019
    • May 22, 2019 What turned to dust. What blew away. What remained. May 22, 2019
    • May 17, 2019 Bringing a studio project to its next stage – and Spatter! - and magic May 17, 2019
    • May 9, 2019 Three Projects Brewing in my Studio May 9, 2019
    • May 1, 2019 Trading Aprons May 1, 2019
  • April 2019
    • Apr 25, 2019 Overlooked. A Story Waiting to be Told Apr 25, 2019
    • Apr 18, 2019 THOUGHTS ON ART "GOTTA-DO'S" … AND CHEWING ON PEAS Apr 18, 2019
    • Apr 10, 2019 There’s life on the edge! Apr 10, 2019
    • Apr 4, 2019 Hieronymous Who? And where is he going? Apr 4, 2019
  • March 2019
    • Mar 30, 2019 In honor of Women’s History Month… Thinking about Expectations Mar 30, 2019
    • Mar 25, 2019 Simple forms – Complex ideas Mar 25, 2019
    • Mar 18, 2019 A window into art (and the heart of the artmaker) Mar 18, 2019
    • Mar 12, 2019 Meanwhile, back to Square Two Mar 12, 2019
    • Mar 4, 2019 A Little Video... Art Quilt "Becoming One with the Night" step-by-step Mar 4, 2019
  • February 2019
    • Feb 26, 2019 Making Connections... Does it Matter? Feb 26, 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
    • Dec 9, 2018 ART. NOT ART. Does it matter? Dec 9, 2018
    • Dec 3, 2018 Life Unseen – Life Unexpected Dec 3, 2018
  • November 2018
    • Nov 28, 2018 The old neighborhood... (and the CHAIR - Part II) Nov 28, 2018
    • Nov 21, 2018 Working from the Outside in (Plus THE CHAIR – Part I) Nov 21, 2018
    • Nov 15, 2018 Speaking of Mary Poppins… Nov 15, 2018
    • 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
    • Sep 5, 2018 Revisiting the Night Sep 5, 2018
  • August 2018
    • Aug 29, 2018 LIGHT. PATTERN. KEEP LOOKING Aug 29, 2018
    • Aug 21, 2018 Alone – with a lot going on around her… Aug 21, 2018
    • Aug 17, 2018 Three Simple Houses. And More. Aug 17, 2018
    • Aug 12, 2018 Water + Home… putting together two powerful images Aug 12, 2018
    • Aug 5, 2018 Did a bicycle just ride through my artwork? Aug 5, 2018
  • July 2018
    • 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
    • Jul 17, 2018 The one artmaking tool I can’t live without Jul 17, 2018
    • Jul 12, 2018 Out on a limb – the girl in the picture and ME Jul 12, 2018
    • Jul 7, 2018 THE UNEXPECTED WINDOW Jul 7, 2018
    • Jul 1, 2018 Deep Down Roots… Where do they Go? Jul 1, 2018
  • June 2018
    • Jun 21, 2018 A Chance to Talk About My Own Artwork (Oh No!) Jun 21, 2018
    • Jun 14, 2018 Creating a portrait that tells a story Jun 14, 2018
    • 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
  • May 2018
    • May 26, 2018 Striking’ while the sun is hot… the unexpected… and some closeups May 26, 2018
    • May 22, 2018 A Back-and-Forth Dance – Between Painting and Quilting May 22, 2018
    • May 16, 2018 What happens if I actually read -- and follow -- my own “Notes to Self?” May 16, 2018
    • May 10, 2018 A fleeting gift of sunlight... May 10, 2018
    • May 6, 2018 Thinking about nest-building May 6, 2018
    • May 1, 2018 A chicken or the egg kind of question… and does it make a difference? May 1, 2018
  • April 2018
    • Apr 25, 2018 Abandoned… Rediscovered… Remembered… Apr 25, 2018
    • 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
  • March 2018
    • Mar 31, 2018 ... but then I was wrong! Mar 31, 2018
    • Mar 22, 2018 The need to "Un-Hermit" Mar 22, 2018
    • Mar 18, 2018 Seeing Again… and Remembering! Mar 18, 2018
    • 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
  • February 2018
    • 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
    • Feb 15, 2018 Once She Could… take a look and let the poem tell the story Feb 15, 2018
    • 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
  • January 2018
    • 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
    • Jan 19, 2018 What’s the same… What’s Changing? Seeing Ideas Evolve Jan 19, 2018
    • Jan 16, 2018 Four Lessons from collaboration: an art-for-the-bees weekend at Stetson University Jan 16, 2018
    • Jan 12, 2018 Being a Citizen… From Inside my Art Bubble Jan 12, 2018
    • Jan 8, 2018 Just one more reason (of-oh-so-many-good-ones) to take the road less traveled Jan 8, 2018
    • Jan 6, 2018 SEEING… by hand Jan 6, 2018
    • 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
  • December 2017
    • Dec 9, 2017 Right by my Studio WIndow... inspiration for a poem Dec 9, 2017
  • October 2017
    • Oct 22, 2017 Side-By-Side Oct 22, 2017
    • Oct 5, 2017 Expectations; Small and Otherwise Oct 5, 2017
  • September 2017
    • Sep 27, 2017 This little bird has had quite a journey! Sep 27, 2017
    • 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
    • Sep 4, 2017 Note to Self... about work and risks Sep 4, 2017
  • August 2017
    • Aug 31, 2017 WATER - POWER - CHANGE - IN THE VERY SAME BREATH Aug 31, 2017
    • Aug 27, 2017 The Pleasure of Objects Aug 27, 2017
    • Aug 20, 2017 Note to Self... Focus On the Why Aug 20, 2017
    • Aug 16, 2017 Some Unexpected Magic Aug 16, 2017
    • Aug 13, 2017 The weight of the work of one's hands Aug 13, 2017
    • Aug 11, 2017 Haiku Friday - the depths of knowing Aug 11, 2017
    • Aug 7, 2017 Sketching... where it begins Aug 7, 2017
    • Aug 6, 2017 Note to Self - Not shallow... Aug 6, 2017
    • Aug 4, 2017 HAIKU FRIDAY... Aug 4, 2017
    • Aug 3, 2017 Imagining... Without A Net Aug 3, 2017
  • July 2017
    • Jul 31, 2017 FLYING INTO THE UNKNOWN Jul 31, 2017
    • Jul 30, 2017 NOTE TO SELF... RISK-TAKING Jul 30, 2017
    • Jul 28, 2017 Haiku Friday... Dreams Rearranged Jul 28, 2017
    • Jul 26, 2017 Waking from a dream, remembering... Jul 26, 2017
    • Jul 25, 2017 The weight of rocks Jul 25, 2017
    • Jul 24, 2017 Landscapes of Dreams Jul 24, 2017
    • Jul 21, 2017 Haiku Friday... Bird Wisdom Jul 21, 2017
    • Jul 20, 2017 TBT – Fledgling: It’s Time to… Jul 20, 2017
    • Jul 18, 2017 : A Look Inside the Studio… “Neither Here Nor There” Jul 18, 2017
    • Jul 17, 2017 Imagining the In-Between Stages Jul 17, 2017
    • Jul 16, 2017 Sunday Morning Jul 16, 2017
    • Jul 13, 2017 The Gift of Rain Jul 13, 2017
    • Jul 12, 2017 Journeying in Dreams Jul 12, 2017
    • Jul 10, 2017 LONGING FOR WATER Jul 10, 2017
  • June 2017
    • Jun 26, 2017 Paying Attention - Simple Pleasures Jun 26, 2017
    • Jun 6, 2017 ROOTED DISCOVERIES Jun 6, 2017
    • Jun 4, 2017 Five Good things: Resistance through Art to Global Warming Jun 4, 2017
  • May 2017
    • May 22, 2017 Change is Never Easy May 22, 2017

Powered by Squarespace