Up to my elbows in photo transfers. Why?

Right now on my studio worktable I have a stack of photo transfers in progress and another pile of photos printed to paper ready to transfer.

Why?

Actually, that’s a two-part question. Why do I have a lot? Why incorporate photos into art quilts at all?

The first part is easier. I am beginning a large work that will be created in four panels with much of the imagery created by photo transfers. So far I have planned out the composition, prepped my photos for reproduction, and had the laser copies printed. Now, one by one, I’ll transfer the photos onto muslin. There will be abut 50 transfers 12” x 18” size in this work.

Second, why use photos in art quilts at all?

For readers who are art-lovers but not necessarily art-makers, I think it deepens the appreciation of a work to explore why artists create in the way they do. Quilt artists use photos in a number of ways. Sometimes, the whole composition of the quilt is about reproducing the image from a photo. I am more interested in juxtaposing a photographic reality with a non-photo reality. It’s a way to add depth of meaning (as well as visual depth) to a narrative work.

This is a work from 2018 I created using photo transfers: “Something Else will Grow There.”

The patterns of leaves-light-and vines within the house are transferred onto muslin from a photo I took of an abandoned house. I think it’s a wonderful image. (I’ll be using it again in the large 4-panel work I’m creating now.) But, rather than just make a whole work of this photo, I have incorporated the image into a child-like house in a setting that is story-like. Now, when encountering this work, this viewer’s brain starts to sort things out. “Look, that’s a photo. It must be a REAL thing. But, look, there’s a child-like image. It must be a NOT-REAL thing.”  I believe the viewer is drawn deeper into the picture surface and the story through this process.

Here's a detail of another new work that’s in progress now

This work uses image elements in a more graphic and symbolic way. The spoons are photos of actual flatware with an intricate repousse pattern. (My grandmother’s silver pattern.) Layered in with the spoons is monotype-printed sheer fabric, monotype-printed muslin fabric, and semi-transoarent images of flying insects. There’s a lot going on. Sorting out what all of this might mean is an entry into the artwork.

For readers who are artmakers, you might be interested in my process of creating transfers. There are many, many ways to get a photo on fabric. But, in the hope that one more way might be helpful to your studio practice, at the end of this blog I’ve described my process. Happy creating!

For more information on “Something Else Will Grow There” and to see more storytelling works incorporating photo transfers, I invite you to visit these galleries on my website:

HOME IS WHAT YOU REMEMBER GALLERY.
JOURNEYS and STORIES GALLERY

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

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How I transfer photos to fabric

Most people who transfer onto fabric use inkjet presses and print directly onto the fabric. There are various grounds and treatments you can put on the fabric to make it receive the image and all kinds of ink jet printers. I mention this upfront because there is a lot written about how to do this, and many people like the process and the results a lot.

I don’t use ink jet. I begin by purchasing color laser copies from my local print shop. All commercial shops who make color copies are using laser copies- not ink jet. (You can tell because the copy is warm when it comes out of the machine.) Be sure to create your images to print in mirror image so they will be right-reading when transferred.

I transfer onto plain old cotton muslin.

I generally rinse the piece in hot water to get the sizing out, then lay the wet fabric on a flat surface (covered with a plastic sheet) and press it out with my hands to get rid of bubbles and wrinkles.

Slather on gel medium (Matte. Thick) with a brush.

Turn your copy upside down onto the gel medium and press it – copy facing the medium – into the gel.

Rub with your hands, Brayer, Burnish it with a wooden spoon.

Go away and let it dry at least 24 hours.

Now gently rub off the paper. Use soft cloth or a toothbrush or your fingers. Use water. Just keep working it. It’s quite tedious. It takes time to get the paper scum to go away. If there are any places where the gel medium did not contact  well with the toner you’ll get  a gap of no image. It is a fussy process.

But, I enjoy this kind of transfer and I like the results.

The only way to know if this works for you is to do some practicing. Best wishes.

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Fearless!

Looking at a big empty canvas, paper or fabric area can be pretty daunting.

I am grateful for the great stories and questions about artmaking blog-readers share with me. Fear of messing up is at the heart of many questions, and a desire to get over it is at the heart of many stories. (There’s a nice success story from a reader at the end of this blog.)

So, this morning I was also encountering fear of a big piece to fill, looking at a wide empty piece of muslin. I have a vision for a new quilt, and I know how I want this section to function. Now’s the time to begin.

First things first. I experience the beginning of artmaking rhythm during set-up. (I love the simple act of putting on my painting apron!) I pulled the paint colors I wanted to use onto my worktable and arranged them around my palette. I spooned out a few blops of color and began to mix. (Color note. I almost never use a paint color straight from the jar. Mixing colors is the key to a palette where the parts speak to each other.)

Sponge painting acrylics onto fabric goes fast. Once I begin, a few minutes later I have a few yards with the basic color down. I wet my sponge just a bit and picked up some color from the palette. Big strokes, big arm movements. The color is not solid, but shows some of the component parts as blends.

I want some subtle image elements in this section so I’ve selected some of my favorite stencils. I’ve sponged in some geometric shapes. Now for the prehistoric fish.

This hand-cut fish skeleton is one of the first stencils I cut and preserved for re-use. It’s based on an illustration I discovered of a Portheus, an extinct species from over 90 million years ago. I have images of this fish in several sizes, both positive and negative images. It’s strongly connotative to me: the passage of time, the fear of the unknown beneath the surface.

For a first layer, I’m pleased with the results. The section is still a bit flat, and will need some more subtle layers of transparent color to get the depth I want. This may stay as a whole-cloth section, or I may cut it into sections to stitch together. All decisions for the next work session

For now, the blankness has been filled. A good first step.

Here’s the successful experiment sent to me from a blog-reader. Janet Pugh from Arizona has been intrigued with wheat-paste resist and the wonderful crackle effects it creates She used the resist to make the texture in the background of this quilt section behind the crocus. Her email to me described a lot of experimentation, with a mix of successes and failures. Yup. That’s how it works! I think it looks great and I‘m so glad Janet shared it.

And I also like her creative composition: squares, but not.

Fear – bad.

Experimenting and creating – good!
Happy creating.

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbibaughart@gmail.com

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New projects brewing

This past weekend, during the few lulls that there were during the Studio Tour, I started the process of looking ahead to my next projects.

(Actually, I’ve had at last two projects brewing for a few weeks now. But, I couldn’t focus on them till the tour was over. That was a big undertaking! And it was so much fun, with lots of visitors and lots of new connections and patrons.)

My first project will include some relief printing with newly-carved blocks. I worked on these during the tour.

My local artmaking group is working on a several months-long project exploring block printing. They met this past Saturday while I was busy with the Studio Tour.

These are easy-cut blocks made of rubber, like a large eraser. They are designed to be super easy to carve, and they are. Like buttah! Unlike original linoleum blocks, these would not work well in a printing press. The pressure of the press would squish them. But, I have used relief print blocks before to print by hand and gotten interesting results.

I am interested in a project that will include leaf patterns. I started by roughing them out in my sketchbook.

Then, I imported them into Photoshop to experiment with overlaps and variations in positioning. I did enough to answer my questions about how the patterns might develop. So, then I proceeded to carving.

When I get to the printing portion, I’ll share more.

My second new project brewing is actually sort of an obsession. I’ve been thinking about this one for a while now. I’m not sure if it will work, or how to solve the technical issues involved in making it work. This involves fabric panels, collage-constructed, with overall quilting stitching but no binding or finishing on the edges:  showing the raw-edge ripped muslin edges.

I started this morning with prepping the muslin. I ripped it to size, about 30” x 40”. I’ll be creating this experiment 100% final size. I’m using white house paint primer applied with a wet natural sponge. After that all-over prep, I went back and put a little more on the edges with a foam brush.

Next I glued on a felt backing going to within about ¾” inch from the edge. This will be the finished backing and I will quilt through it.

Next I plan to use up old ugly scraps to collage and stitch the whole piece just as I will when I make the real work. What I’m interested in is seeing how it will hang, and how the natural-edge muslin looks. I love the natural deckle-edge finish of watercolor paper, especially when the art on the paper has non-square edges. My hope is to create a similar feel with fabrics.

As it progresses, I’ll share more.

This morning I put my studio back in order. It felt great!

Just in case you’d like to do some browsing… To prepare for the studio tour I created a number of new matted paper collages. I was so happy to have many of them go home with patrons. But I have some nice pieces left on my website. Here’s one I especially like, “Bubbling Up”

Detail, “Bubbling Up”

This one and more are available in the Wednesday Collage Gallery, HERE.

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbibaughart@gmail.com

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Look! I ‘m juggling. (But I’m really just…)

This is (at last!) the week of the DeLand-area Studio tour. I look forward to this event each year.

For artists, there’s not much better than the chance to show people what you make, how it’s done, and what it means. For art-lovers and patrons, this same experience is the opportunity to ask about what interests you or what you wish you understood more.

So, I’m just working on a few miscellaneous projects this week. In my heart, I know that this is REALLY studio-cleaning-avoidance syndrome. I know, I know. I’ve got to start soon. But not yet.

Earlier this month I blogged about a fabric-paper collage in shades of violet and black. This abstract interested me, primarily because it’s an unusual palette for me. Creating abstract works is a completely different process than representational works. I love the challenge. But I don’t find them easy. I completed the collage and matted it. Here’s a detail and the completed piece, to show how it turned out:

This work is titled Wayward Path.

I have worked on a number of additional small collages in preparation for studio visitors. If you’d like to take a look, I have them uploaded onto my website. You can see them in the Wednesday Collage Gallery, HERE. 

Here’s another collage-in-progress. Almost completed.

I’ve also been working on a portrait of an historic house for an exhibit that will be in Dayton, Ohio. The project is to honor homes in the historic Oregon District of Dayton. It’s an enjoyable project to try to capture the feel of an historic home.

(Just a peek for now. I’ll reveal the whole quilt after the exhibit has its official opening.)

And now, one last time, allow me to invite you to the DeLand-area Artist Studio Tour. I ALWAYS enjoy visitors to my studio. If you are in Central Florida, I hope you will stop by. Coming to DeLand is always a great day trip. We have a fun downtown with lots of interesting places for lunch or supper.

I promise I will have my studio tidied up for you!

For a map to my studio, go to home page of bobbibaughstudio.com

For information on the whole tour, go to www.ArtsTours.org

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

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Working large-to-small. Then back again.

This weekend I got a chance to do more work on the large patterns-in-blue quilt that’s in production.

(This involved completing some other projects and making space. Aaaah!)

I use my easel as a design wall – a place I can tack up work in progress, rearrange, and get the big picture. Generally, I use Styrofoam insulating panels as my backer. They are lightweight and I can easily pin into them. I placed a piece of dark felt over the Styrofoam just so the blue of the panels wouldn’t distract me. And look what I discovered! The felt backing of my individual pieces stays in place without pinning against the felt covering of the panels. Just like Sunday School flannel boards! What a great discovery this was. (Sometimes. It’s the little things.)

As I’m looking at the arranged squares, I’m trying to envision the overall pattern. I decided I wanted to add some semi-opaque white squares across the surface to add a little brightness and to unify the design. I marked the squares to be stenciled, pulled them off the easel (helpful hint: number the squares so you know where they go back) and stenciled on about six squares.

Mixing up some white paint w acrylic medium, so it will be semi-opaque. On the right, the fabric section within the tape box is what I’ll paint.

Rolling the mixed paint onto the fabric with a paint roller. I have masked off the areas to paint with masking tape

Pulling off the tape to reveal the painted squares. (I love this part!)

Here’s the piece with the squares added. I like it more. It’s subtle but worth doing

I have one square with a splash of color. I tried it out in several spots. I think I like the top location better.

Next: Going back to the small view. I’ll be stitching different kinds of lines within each square, and maybe adding a small amount of additional shapes and values on select squares. So, instead of thinking about the whole work, I’ll concentrate on each individual square for a while.

I should have this further along, but still in-progress, for the DeLand-Area-Studio Tour February 22-23. If you are in the Central Florida area, I hope you’ll visit. DeLand has a great downtown, and our tour has 17 stops and 21 artists to visit. What a great day trip!

Map and tour information HERE

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

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A work-in-progress... teal-rust-violet composition

Happy not-everybody-watches-the-superbowl day. I’ve had a great afternoon in the studio collaging.

This abstract collage came together In some interesting ways. (Earlier this afternoon I did not expect that. It had me stumped.) I’ve written before how much I love abstract compositions, and how challenging they are for me. I learn a lot from working through the process.

Here’s the piece I’m working on. It’s not done, but it’s close. For now we’ll name it teal-violet-rust composition. It fits a 16 x 20 mat 20x24 framed size.

Here are some close-ups to show the things I am finding interesting.

Movement – I am pleased with getting some sense of rhythm and movement in this composition. The circle shapes top left appear to descend. The three red bars being set at angles creates a dance-like relationship between the three. And the grassy shapes in the violet section have implied direction too.

Layers – peeking through.  This section shows layers created in several ways. The rust-colored piece is actually printed with rust on a sheer polyester. Because the fabric is not opaque, and the pigments Is only partially opaque, what’s behind the rust section shows through.  The violet ovals and the teal circles interact in a different way. The teal ovals are monotype printed on rice paper. I collaged them down first. Then the violet ovals went on top. Like the rust, these are printed on sheer polyester. So, they are partially transparent. Additionally, I manually cut out some of the ovals on the sheer fabric to make a hole for a few teal circles to show through completely.

Edges of the composition – this section is the top left. I keep my mat handy as I compose to see how the images will fit within the final presentation. Sometimes, allowing a little bit of the image to extend off the edge adds an interesting element to the composition. It adds to the movement, I think, when a portion seems to enter the picture from off the edge.

(Tidbit: For many years I worked in commercial printing. In a printed piece, when the image goes off the edge of the paper it’s called a bleed. With years of paper design inside me, I still think of these places as bleed areas. I printing, you can’t actually print the ink off the edge. To create a bleed, the piece is printed on a large sheet and then cut down to final size.)

I hope your Sunday found you happily occupied… by football or artwork or something else that you love doing.

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

STUDIO TOUR!
If you are in Central Florida, I hope you’ll visit my studio during the Art Studio Tour February 22-23
Map and information HERE

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

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Piecing Things Together in the Studio

First… I’ve been flummoxed! I’ve had a work-in-progress in the studio, an abstract composition using dominant blues, for several weeks. For a number of reasons, it has gone through several huge changes. My entire inspiration was a large piece made of randomly collaged and stitched segments on which I had printed all kinds of surface patterns. It’s been on my shelf over a year waiting for the right application. So, my recent adventures in printing blue patterns were to go with that original large piece and tie it all together.

Except I didn’t like it. I like the new blue pieces I’ve printed. But I couldn’t find a composition to use the collaged yardage that was supposed to be the whole basis for the piece. So I tried  plan B – working in some other interesting colors.

I thought this had possibilities. But I couldn’t get it to “click.” Time for plan C.

I have now printed more subtle blue sections with very light values. I’m working in 8” x 8” blocks in a simple grid layout. After the sections all go together I will have created a background “canvas” ready for some surface printing and painting of abstract elements. I hope this one goes to a place I like.

Second… I’ve been building shipping boxes. Last week I shipped out my piece “Rust Happens” that will be part of SAQA’s “Opposites Attract” Exhibition which begins its travels in Australia. Today I’m working on a box-within-a-box to ship the piece that was accepted to the 100% Pure Florida Exhibit in Melbourne, Florida. Below is the work that was accepted.

This collage is “But in the Silence Between.” I was inspired by a quote from Mozart: “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”

I’m sort of a box-building fanatic. I use commercial shippers pretty regularly. But it’s my responsibility to provide my work well packed and well boxed to arrive safely.

Handy tip:  I buy flat moving/storage boxes from Lowes. The biggest are about $1.50 each. They are a great source of flat cardboard that I can trim and score fold to any size I want for each shipment. Assemble with wood glue.

Finally – I’ve been breathing steam! I’ve been battling the cough-and-cold that just won’t go away. This weekend is the first time I’ve felt close to my normal self. The cold meds I was taking made me feel terrible. I have to give a lot of credit for my improvement to the old-fashioned breathing steam remedy.

And — an unexpected plus — Sitting with a towel over my head deeply breathing steam turns out to be very contemplative. It’s sort of like hiding, and my thoughts can just go their own way as the warm air goes down into my lungs. I have recently begun to formulate ideas for a new series. Who knows? Maybe the inspiration was the steam?

Looking ahead: Studio Tour February 22-23. If you are nearby, please visit

More tour information is on my web site,
along with a map to my studio and link to maps for all the artists
H E R E

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:  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

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First the little girl. Now the story.

Two weeks ago I wrote abut the process of enlarging the drawing of this little girl sitting in the ladder-backed chair.

Since that time, I have her placed on the fabric, and I am building up colors and the background all around here. These will be the elements of the story.

This work-in-progress is on my easel with trial fabrics pinned in place

I enjoy the process of storytelling visually. I readily admit that I am stronger on setting than I am on plot. And that’s by intent. The little girl is not a particular child, although I know I draw a lot on my own inner child. She is the embodiment of all girls. Full of contradictions. Often unsure. Resilient and capable. Fragile. Full of possibilities.

When I place the child in the setting that suggests things going on —without dictating one individual’s plotline — each viewer can insert into this narrative her own story or the story of a girl she loves.

So, I am especially drawn to images that are interesting but not definitive.

Photos embedded in layers of surface-designed fabric are on of my favorite design elements. When the brain perceives a photo of an actual thing it registers “real.” But, when the photo is next to a square or an abstract shape, that is something “not real.” Now the brain must piece this together.

I love this photo of strong tree roots. The blue acrylic glaze over part of it adds to the interest.

This photo is a close-up of rocks and roots, also altered by color overlays.

The windows are photo transfers too, with sheer fabric inserted in the panes and stitching to tie the various parts together.

I am a little over halfway through building up the layers on this piece. I hope to submit it to a juried exhibition in February, so I want to keep the whole thing under the lid during that process. I look forward to a full reveal later this spring.

Meanwhile… Here’s my invitation to those who are near the Central Florida area. Please visit my studio during the 2020 Off-the-Beaten-Path Tour.

You can find the map to my studio and tour information HERE

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

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

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Where does inspiration come from?

I’m home this evening from a weekend visit with family at the beach on the other of the state. Driving makes me sleepy, and I stretched out on the couch for a short snooze when we returned.

It was very short. My body was sleepy but my mind is jazzed. I am filled with ideas about what I want to do next on works I already have started in the studio and new works I want to begin.

How does this happen? I don’t write this as a complaint or a rant. I am genuinely curious. I am grateful to have thought processes that regularly generate new ideas that are challenging and interesting to me. I know that many artists struggle thinking of what to create.

So, I’m just thinking back through a few events of my weekend to reconstruct.

I dipped my feet in the Gulf of Mexico. This morning it was chilly on the beach, but the sun warmed my skin. I felt the cold water on my bare feet. I watched the ripples move and change as they hit my feet. I listened to the wind and the surf.

I looked at interesting work by other artists. We spent Saturday afternoon strolling several nice art galleries. I felt especially drawn to ceramics this weekend, and looked deeply at works that are not at all alike – except that they are made of clay. A rough-textured sculptural form pulled me into its soft palette. Some bright red serving pieces revealed interesting expressive scribed mark-making. I looked at these a long while.

I looked at blank walls. I have found before that I frequently find the beginnings of inspiration in the dimensions of a possible work. Sometimes, just sketching out the perimeter dimensions with dark marker on drawing paper will allow my mind to start filling in the blanks. I have been working large and square for a few months. Some narrow vertical spaces might be interesting to me for a bit.

I took the long way home. The direct route across Florida is I-4 Tampa-to-Daytona. It’s a horrible, stressful experience. We chose to go up through older towns and less-traveled roads on our drive. It took about an hour and a half longer to get home. But the trip was a gift. Old homes. Small towns. Fruit stands. Cows. No trucks. Quiet. Without trying to create, just allowing some space for it to occur can be a beginning.

In the studio… working n a recent inspiration

Tomorrow I have an un-scheduled day. I’m looking forward to being in the studio allowing things to happen.

And a nice e-mail waiting for me when I returned….
I am so pleased to have a work accepted in the 100% Pure Florida Exhibit at Fifth Avenue Gallery in Melbourne. It’s a very nice gallery, and the show will include works in all mediums. I have to admit, encouraging news always help to spur inspiration too.

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
bobbibaughart@gmail.com
--Bobbi

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

Thank you, Mr. Samuelson (my geometry teacher)

I always enjoy using a mathematical or scientific principal, then remembering when I had learned that in school. I especially remember eighth grade geometry lessons against the backdrop of students moaning, “When are we ever going to use THIS?”

This weekend I worked on enlarging a reference photo to about 4 and a half times its original size using a simple drawing grid. It’s a useful and pleasing process and accomplishes some things that don’t happen with other enlargement methods.

I have an enlarging projector and sometimes I use that. But — aside from the logistical issues of waiting till night for a darkened room and setting up the projector and the drawing surface at the correct distance — tracing a shape that’s projected does not feel the same as constructing a drawing.

I also work in Photoshop to compose artworks, and it’s very handy. But it also does not feel the same as constructing a drawing.

For this new artwork, I am creating a drawing of a little girl. This is subject matter I have used before. I get very involved emotionally with the character. Once I am further along in the work, that will be a good thing. (This quilt will be about conversation with the inner child.) But, for now, I need to get the shapes and proportion right. The process of grid-enlargement forces me to turn off the left brain involvement with the subject and focus on the right-brain function of just seeing shape and relationships of parts.

I began by drawing a grid of squares on the reference photo. I made six squares - 2 across and 3 down. That was enough to keep me on track. As I drew, when I needed more precise reference, I ticked off the center point of each grid and used that too.

The grid does not have to be squares. (But I like squares.) I could have used rectangles. What’s essential is that the grid drawn on the enlarging surface is the same ratio as the original.

Now I’m marking off a proportional grid on the drawing paper. I love my giant metal right angle drafting ruler.

The subject matter of a human figure is a tempting trap. My brain thinks it knows where the eye, the ears and the body parts should go. If I relied on that, I would have drawn them all in the wrong place and the wrong size. The grid forces me to see the parts as line and shape.

This is the working method. Square by square. Whatever is in square 1 on the photo, that’s what goes in square 1 of the enlargement. Use the edges and center points to get the lines right. Then move to the next square. I actually am also doing some modification as I go. My model is a teenager with a teenager-shaped body. I am adjusting so she’s a little girl.

This little girl is also seated on a ladderback chair at an odd angle. This is also a tempting trap. As I drew I was glad to have the grid keeping me in line.

Here’s the whole shape up on my easel

At the end of the days’ work, I had my figure at final size on brown kraft paper. I have prepped a piece of plain muslin with diluted white house paint ready for the final drawing. I will trace my paper drawing onto the muslin with a light table, at first just with pencil. I hope to bring her to life with more expressive drawn marks, probably a mix of marker and oil pastel, and maybe some left-handed drawing. I’ll overlay some paint washes and printed transparent fabrics to build up some values.

The inner child quilt will be a work-in-progress for the next few weeks. I’ll share more as it progresses.

JUST FOR FUN… If you have not enlarged artwork with a grid, give it a try. For a creative twist, break the proportion rules. If you draw squares on your reference photo, for example, but tall rectangles on your final surface, as you draw in the lines within each block you’ll see your original image stretched out tall and distorted.

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

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It Can Be So Small a Thing...

This morning my reading of the Sunday paper involved my being almost IN our Christmas tree. We cut it down in the National Forest last week, set it up, and it fills our usual reading corner.

I turned on the tree’s lights as I read.

From the corner of my eye I caught just a flash, a glimmer of something small.

And I remembered.

When I was a kid, we lived in a two-story home. Coming down the steps during the Christmas season, the lights from the tree would be reflected on the sloped ceiling above the stairs. I loved the patterns and the colors.

Seeing that glimmer this morning triggered… what? Where? I am fascinated by the mechanics of memory. Is there a specific cell or synapse somewhere in my brain that contains that image of the lights on the sloped ceiling? Did the glimmer this morning run down a nerve memory pathway and ignite that cell? Will it be reconfigured in future dreams, changed into story and rearranged memory to give it meaning?

Something about holiday seasons makes our memory more poignant. We are processing images of the events as recorded in family photo albums with dreams and expectations of what we longed for alongside events as they actually were, often not at all the same.

And the simplest of images can get it all rolling.

I believe that’s the power of visual storytelling. And it’s what each artist brings to her own artwork. When I create, it will come from a combination of intentional, purposeful choices combined with unconscious impulses directing color and content and emotional tone. It’s the sum of those things that makes each artist’s work unique. It’s why a one-of-a-kind original work is not the same as a mass-produced item.

For me, memory is the raw materials of artmaking.

From my reading-chair-in-a-tree this day, I wish to develop and find meaning in this process. And it’s my wish for all makers-of-art. And my hope that the work created speaks to the lives of enjoyers-of-art.

So much possibility, from so small a thing.

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

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Stepping back in (Southern) time

This has been a week of rejuvenation for me. The fall art festivals are all behind me. I celebrated a wonderful and simple Thanksgiving meal with a group of friends, went to see the Mr. Rogers movie (more wonderful than I ever could have expected!) and I am beginning to wade more deeply into a large quilt that I am working on for submission to a show at the end of January.

The new work will be filled with images of a largely forgotten, faded Southern town. It could be one of many little towns you find when driving away from the Interstate through rural South Carolina and Georgia. I have written before about the stirring of emotion I found shooting photos in several small towns.

This week, I began working on some of the surface design to go with the photos. I want to create the feel of vintage Southern interiors, the look of blankets that would have been on the bed, and the look of wallpaper that would have been in the foyer.

I’ve begun with two “wallpaper” panels, each combining a white magnolia, some crackled background fabric, and a pattern of roses on a vine.

This is experimental territory for me. I don’t work a lot with floral patterns. I am figuring out how to use my regular studio techniques – collaging and stenciling – to create this quilt section.

Here goes.

Aging with crackle. I started with two sections of muslin in the size I want and painted them pale cream. Then I covered them with wheat paste to create a beautiful, unpredictable crackle pattern. Here’s the wheat paste after it dried and I crackled it, covered in a dark burnt umber paint to go down into the crackles. (A few pictures down you’ll see the result.)

The floral pattern: I drew this out at 100% final size on butcher paper, including all the roses and the leaves. Then I traced this onto wax paper. (Wax paper is a studio staple for me. Here, I’m using it as a simple tracing paper.) I needed the pattern on something see-through so I could trace it onto the bristol I’d use for the stencil.

Tracing from the butcher paper.

Tracing the wax paper pattern onto Bristol card stock

(You may be thinking I’ve gone a long way around the barn here, which is true. I could have just drawn the design on the Bristol. But I was interested in different things. On the butcher paper, I wanted to see the final design with some details, and suggestions of the shadows and stitched lines I’ll add eventually. I want to keep that intact for reference. The Bristol stencil is just about shape. That’s all I traced.)

Now It’s time to cut the stencil.

My tool of preference is just a straight edge razor blade. I’m sure it’s because that’s how I was taught to cut masks and film back in the early pre-computer days of working in commercial printing. An exacto blade with a handle just doesn’t feel right to me.

I’ll be using the negative stencil shape for printing. I keep the positive for reference, and to position the negative on the fabric. (It may also appear printed in some future project.)

Here’s the result of the first color stenciled. I used a burnt umber made transparent with matte medium to create the rose-vine shape. This will appear as a shadow. You can see the printed crackle on the cream colored background.

At the end of the day, I had stenciled the second hit – the shape of the rose-vine in green. I’ll be adding more layers tomorrow. But I felt like the image on my worktable of this project-in-progress — with afternoon light through the window — was a good affirmation of the path I’ve started.

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

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People Ask...

People ask a LOT of very good and interesting questions when they look at my textile collage art.

But.. first — I just have to say some love about my own hometown. I exhibited this past weekend in DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts in downtown DeLand. (That’s where I heard the questions.) What a great weekend! I was grateful for a well-organized, artist-centered event, and perfect weather, and good crowds, and good sales, and  — especially nice —  an award of recognition. It was an amazing group of artwork in all mediums. I’m honored to be among them. And my art neighbors were funny, talented, interesting people, making for a weekend of enjoyable camaraderie.

So… questions.

Q: I’d love to hang a quilt on my wall, but how do I take care of it?
A: Just like you’d take care of any acrylic painting. No artwork should be placed where it will be hit by strong, direct sunlight. Otherwise, just hang it, dust it now and then, and enjoy. When an acrylic painter creates work, it’s paint and mediums on canvas. My works are paint and mediums on other kinds of fabric, along with some cutting and stitching. But, once it’s completed, as far as content and structure it’s not really so different from any acrylic work.

Q: How long does it take to make a large quilt?
A: Excellent question. I’d probably make myself crazy if I actually tracked the hours, so I don’t. I will work on a large quilt over a period of months. I have multiple works in progress at any given time. I can just say there are lots of parts: the thinking and designing stage, the printing of yardage stage, the cutting and assembly stage, and the textured quilting stage. After it’s all assembled, I usually add more collage and painting on the surface. It’s a good thing I enjoy all the stages!

This detail of “Because That’s Where it All Begins” shows several processes: photo transfer to muslin (the nest,) hand-printed fabric patterns, machine-stitched quilting for texture, and joining seams to construct the quilt.

This is the completed work – “Because That’s Where It All Begins”

Q: How do artists get into Festivals? Do they get paid? Are tents provided?
A: No. Artists make an investment to show in outdoor Festivals. Juried shows require artists to go through a selection process. Submitted images are juried by a panel of people knowledgeable in the art field to determine who will be able to exhibit. It costs to apply to a show – even if you are not accepted – and there is a booth fee to exhibit. (Depending on the show, generally $300-$500 per weekend.) This is how the Festival generates its income. Artists invest in a tent and display panels in addition to some way to store them and transport them to a show. In DeLand, set-up started at 5:30 am. The street was alive with the sound of clanking metal pent poles. By about 9am the show was set to go

Here’s part of my exhibit at the DeLand Festival

I’ve completed my three shows for Fall 2019. I’m ready for a time-off week and Thanksgiving and beginning the design work on some large projects for 2020.

Last week in my blog I was showing a collage-in-progress. Here it is. I was so happy that this one SOLD at the DeLand Festival.

“When You Hear the Song of Memory”

Missed the Festival? Feel like shopping?
I created a number of collaged works matted to fit a 20” x 24” frame. They were well-received, but some nice ones are still available on my website, HERE

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

bobbibaughart@gmail.com

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1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Collage-in-progress

Time for a little collage!

This is a festival-prep week for me. I will be in DeLand’s Fall Festival of the Arts this weekend. At my last Festival I was very happy to have a good response to the small, matted collaged pieces I was showing. So, I need more. (What a wonderful problem to have!) Since I will be showing a few large storytelling quilts in DeLand, I want the smaller works I show to be compatible, to look like part of a unified body of work. I have already created some photo transfers that I like. Now it’s time to put them together.

Starting with two elements

The window will be the dominant element in this work. It takes up a good deal of the space. So, the image will actually be about the window. Everything else is to accent the window and tie things together. Here, I’m collaging the window onto watercolor paper with matte medium. The blue transparent fabric on the left softens the image and implies water.

I use a brayer to get a good bond. The background piece is 140# watercolor paper.

I am weighting the composition with some heavier fabrics at the bottom. These two pieces are muslin that I created with acrylic paints, using stencils and resist.

I especially like this piece. Even though it’s a very simple pattern, when I painted the stencil I was working wet-into-wet, creating nice fluid edges on the shapes. I like the way this pattern can connote either rock-like forms or bubbles.

Now I want to add some transparent texture over the window to soften the edges and tie it in to the rest of the composition.

That’s as far as I got today. I will be adding some painted textures over parts of the surface, and possibly another recognizable object or two. I need to let thing s dry and look at it fresh tomorrow.

Stay tuned.  Next week I’ll post a picture of the finished work.

If you would like to see some of the larger quilts
I have created that use similar imagery,
I invite you to look through the gallery
 “Home is What You Remember”
On my website HERE

If you are near central Florida, please visit the DeLand Fall Festival of the Art this weekend. (Nov 23-24, 2019) It’s my hometown and I am very proud to be in this event. Downtown DeLand is a great place to visit, and there is an impressive group of artists exhibiting. See you there!

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbibaughart@gmail.com

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

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!

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”

A closer look would reveal this detail.

Another detail a closer look would reveal.

(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!

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

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GRASSY INTRICACIES

In my studio this week, I’ve been looking a lot at close-ups of intricate grass patterns.

I use natural forms – roots of grass pulled from my lawn, small twigs and tall grasses – to print my monotypes on rice paper and fabric. This is one of the first images I discovered when I began printing monotypes by hand around 2011. I still enjoy the infinite variety of the patterns. And, along the way, I feel like I’ve learned to use the characteristics of the printing plate – positive, negative, wet, dry – to enhance the images I create.

Here are a few from works-in-progress in the studio now.

These grass shapes are in shades of deep-blue to gray. I like the way they suggest being underwater.

This grass-in-shadow pattern was printed on a satin-like fabric to achieve more intensity.

Printing bright green on sheer fabric so the white behind makes the color “pop,” and over-collaging with some sun-dappling shapes.

Collaging sheer grass pattern over a blush of sky color.

One of the first large collage-on-board works I created is “Living Deeply.” I was inspired by the vertical pattern of grass shapes. I created an underground environment of rocks to suggest a sense that these roots were reaching down deeply underground for… Water? Life?

“Living Deeply” textile collage (Detail)

In 2018, as part of my series “Home is What You Remember,” I created the art quilt “And All that’s Gone Before.” I was, again, inspired by the root-like patterns I had created with natural forms. The blue patterns all around, underground, dig into the depths of memories, and the roots reach to that. I enjoyed contrasting this with the photographic images of branches and twigs inside the house.

“And All That’s Gone Before” art quilt

A recent quilt that incorporates grass patterns is “What the Waterlilies Sing.” In this one, the grass-printed monotypes are black and purple, working as a pattern to pull all of the imagery together.

“What the Waterlilies Sing” art quilt (Detail)

The rest of this week is Festival-prep work. I look forward to exhibiting at the Maitland Festival Under the Stars November 8-10. If you are nearby, please visit and say “Hi.” I’m in space #168. (I’ll have some of my new matted monotype collages with me, as well as some larger pieces.)

If you’d like  more information about the works I’ve detailed, you can find them on my website:

Living Deeply
And All That’s Gone Before
What the Waterlilies Sing.

Thanks for reading!
I always appreciate questions and comments.
Bobbi

bobbibaughart@gmail.com

Have a seat. Here, in my favorite chair

I fell in love with ladder-backed chairs when I was in elementary school.

Our home was pretty formal. Our dining room table was dark wood with matching chairs and needlepoint cushions.

But the home of my best school pal was what I considered to be a fun home. Their house rules were a little looser. And the dining room was filled with Mexican pottery and colorful table runners. And mismatched ladder-back chairs. I loved them!

I remembered this today when I came across a textile collage I created several years ago based on a visit to the now-grownup home of that same family. This simple piece of furniture has become a favorite personal symbol. I have repeated it in works ever since I began monotype printing paper and fabric in 2011.

“Charlotte’s Yellow Chair” 24” x 18” collage o panel

I don’t think an artist can go about arbitrarily deciding to have a personal symbol. An image will be most meaningful if it is discovered or remembered. Sometimes the inspiration is a physical attribute or shape. Sometimes it is a memory. For me, the use of the chair has evolved and reappeared in works in ways that I sometimes don’t expect.

I often use hand-cut stencils to create the image of the chair. I use them for monotype printing and resist imaging, and as patterns for applique. I have created them in various sizes – reaching for one in my file is like reconnecting with an old friend.

This is a work that’s also several years old. But it’s one that continues to speak to me.. The chair works as a device to travel into the scene.

“Holding on, Letting Go.” Collage on birch panel. 18” x 18”

I created “Something Else Will Grow There” in 2018. Here, the chairs are a way to introduce a character into the memory. Of course, the chair is empty. But its emptiness implies that somebody used to be there, which becomes part of the story.

“Something Else will Grow There” Collaged Art Quilt 35” x 43”

This quilt was inspired by an abandoned, roofless house in rural South Carolina. It was filled with intricate patterns of overgrown vines. The light through the vines created mesmerizing patterns.  I created child-like houses to contain the image in the quilt, and gave each home an abandoned chair. Neither chair is set firmly on the ground. Afloat, they are part of the memory.

I created “Overgrown Conversation” (below) in 2019 for the SAQA Florida “Perspectives” exhibit in Tallahasseee. It was inspired by the photographs of the abandoned windows. The vines growing over and through the windows imply the passage of time as the windows have been abandoned and forgotten. I wanted to introduce the concept of conversation into the composition, and – again – chairs became a device to suggest something missing. Who sat in the chairs? Where are they now?

“Overgrown Conversation” 24” x 36”

As much as I love pure color and design, I find that again and again I am drawn to create works that have a storytelling component, I enjoy digging into the narrative component. Other symbols reappear in my work also. But the chair remains a favorite.

If you’d like more information about the works shown, they are all on my website.
”Charlotte’s Yellow Chair”
”Holding On Letting Go”
”Something Else Will Grow There”
”Overgrown Conversation”

FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN… I’ll be exhibiting in two more Festivals in 2091. If you are nearby, I hope you’ll come visit.

Thank you for reading.

I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

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A new project – at the beginning of the process

For a while, this project has existed only in my head, in some PhotoShop mockup files, and in component transfers.

This is one of the photos that inspired my current project.. You can see it transformed on the worktable below.

Today is the first time I have actually laid the transferred photos out on my worktable to begin to get the big picture. I can see right away things I like, and also right away things that probably will not work the way my mockups had suggested.

Mostly, this is very exciting and motivating to me. Seeing and touching the work at its full size always opens up my mind to the possibilities of the final project.

This will be a large quilt, about 42”H x about 60”W. I am creating it for a call-for-artists with a January deadline.

Inspired by some photos of abandoned homes in rural South Carolina, I want to create a nostalgic sense of what has been lost.

Another of the photos for the project. I converted it to a burnt umber tone in PhotoShop. This one has been transferred to fabric.

The photographic images are just part of it. For the sections that are not the photos, I hope to create patterned fabric that suggests faded floral wallpaper, as these homes might have had in the foyer in a former time. (I haven’t settled yet n a method to create these images. That’s probably next.)

In the largest photo, on the back step, I want to introduce a character – probably a grandmother figure, as part of the memory of the home.

I may introduce some maps into the background texture of the photos and the wallpaper, to emphasize that this is a real place. A real loss.

I have also used photos from abandoned rural places in other works. Those, however, have been used in a different way.

In “This is the Way to Get In,” (above) I used photos I shot of an abandoned place to suggest an imaginative story. It wasn’t my intent to depict it as an actual, specific place.  (You can see more about this work on my website, HERE)

My hope in the new work is to focus on what is real. What was real. That somebody actually lived in these homes and that somebody loved this place. I want to honor the place and the memory.

I’m looking forward to the process!

Meanwhile…

I’ll be exhibiting in two more shows this fall. If you are nearby, I hope you’ll visit.

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

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Achey ladder legs and lots of talking

I pulled my body out of bed this morning, thinking, “Ouch. I feel like I lugged a bunch of heavy stuff, packed a car and climbed up and down ladders yesterday.” Because I did. I exhibited this past weekend at the Winter Park Art Festival, experiencing firsthand some of the best one-on-one possibilities for interaction between artists and art-appreciators.

Here are some things I (re)discovered.

There is no substitute for an experienced, well-run art festival. This is a good festival; the staff knew how to handle all the details including artist load-in and load-out, food, sufficient parking. Most of all, a well-established and well-advertised festival will bring in a lot of people. I saw and talked to people non-stop from 9am to 5pm for two days. Artists could not ask for more.

People watching from a spot right across from my booth.

I learned again that people like fabric. They are drawn to textures and colors. It is still fairly unusual to see art quilts exhibited in an all-medium juried setting alongside painting, ceramics and more well-known art mediums. I was asked (and hope I answered well) lots of questions

I was showing “Because That’s How it All Begins” in my exhibit. This one generated great conversations - both about methods and content.

I learned again that, as an artist, it’s sometimes hard to know how much emphasis to give to explaining the medium (the step-by-step how-to) as compared the purpose of a particular work and what it means to me. Of course, the medium is not really the purpose of the work. The purpose of the work is whatever it was that inspired or interested me. But, it is natural for people to ask how-to questions first.

And I learned:

People love color. (A good thing, since I love color)

The works I displayed have a lot of color.

Other lessons:

Children absolutely cannot resist a hanging curtain in an artist booth. If there’s an curtain, by golly they’re going to peek behind to see what’s in there.

Being an exhibiting artist is hard work.

For readers who are artmakers, you already know this. In addition to the studio hours working out your ideas and your craft, there are many choices about how and where to show your work to people. Every artist has to pick the ones that suit her best.

For readers who are art-appreciators: THANK YOU. I am grateful for the respect given by festival-attenders to the exhibiting artists. I had a lot of deep and interesting art conversations and some great questions. And, of course, I am always grateful for those who support artwork by making a purchase.

I did not get rich this weekend. But I did not come home empty-handed. I have two festivals left this fall, and look forward to repeating the process all over again. (My achey legs should be better in plenty of time!)

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

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Grey, Grey, Soft Grey, Grey

Grey, grey, grey. That’s been my mantra this week In the studio as I’ve been working on a new abstract landscape.

I did some other work lately with very vibrant colors. I felt compelled to stay in a soft grey palette. But, I admit it’s hard for me because I’m often drawn to more color.

I started with an above-and-below composition, a blank space along the horizon line. I used grey-grey in the sky and grey with a slight green hue below. I liked the wash look and I was happy with the overall color. Not much composition yet.

I added a block of squares, introducing a little grey-blue. My thought had been that this would function as window. But it stayed on my easel for a number of days without suggesting what to do next. I made some paper sketches and some Photoshop sketches and didn’t like anything I came up with. And then I thought of my tree stencils, and ideas began to come together.

I blocked out an area to stencil a tree shape with the tree as a resist. I let the grey background show through the tree form and added a darker value to the background. Then I added in some looser tree forms with stencils and wetter sponge work.

Just a word about wonderful grey hues.

I almost never use grey from the jar, and almost never create grey by mixing black and white. The best studio resource I own is my detailed color wheel, which I learned to make a number of years ago as an exercise in an oil painting class. (I hated oils, so I did mine in acrylics.) The most wonderful greys and neutral tones occur when you mix across the compliments (in this work, blue plus orange) and then add either umber to deepen it, or white to go to grey tones. So much richness in the colors! And, since other parts of this work will contain blue, I know that when I mix the greys with a blue base, all the parts will speak well to each other.

I’m adding a little line work to this piece for visual texture. Almost done with the composition.

NOW IT’S TIME TO WORK ON FESTIVAL PREP!! I loaded up my car with my tent and display panels from the place I store them, and started today with washing tent parts and organizing all the “stuff” associated with an outdoor art festival. I’ll be exhibiting in three festivals October and November. This weekend is Winter Park. If you are near, I hope you’ll stop by and see the work I’ll have on display.

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

bobbibaughart@gmail.com


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