When I started a few years ago to create paper collages as a regular part of my studio practice I thought it would be interesting and a break from larger works. Both things proved true.

 But I had no idea at the time how much I would learn from these works. I see already a renewed sensitivity to the surface, and an interest in putting things together organically becoming more of what interests me in quiltmaking.

 And I have tackled a few large projects that are more printerly — with fewer pieces in the quilt and more emphasis on the surface design.

 All this means I like printing and I like collaging. I produced a lot of pieces over the summer. (And I just had a big sale through my website with a number of very nice people becoming patrons. Yayyy!)

 Looking at the recent works, here are some little details that I think have something to teach me.

This is a section about 8” x 8” from a recent collage. I think the layers built up nicely. The screen printed silver grey trees recede into the background. The opaque dark blue screen printed trees on the right come to the foreground.  And, in the closest foreground, I like the mustard gold shape interacting with its color complement, the purple shape, to give some life to that section.

The lesson from this one, to me, is how positives and negatives work well together. I used a single stencil to print the honeycomb shapes. On the left, the ink went through the holes to print as solids. On the right I printed from the ghost on the plate, printing the linear outline of those shapes. I like them side by side.

I remember pulling the paper off the plate with this section of liquid aqua and blue. It was something I could not have predicted – just a great spontaneous hint of wash that occurred from spending a couple of hours doing monotypes and experimenting. That’s the lesson. Getting a variety of effects, and ones that you like, comes from spending time with your materials and methods.

This pattern is from a hand-cut stencil I recently created. I like the vitality of the print. Repeating patterns can join sections in a work and provided some energy.

The appeal of recognizable shapes. I like trees. Most people like trees. In the midst of an abstract composition that’s really about color and texture, this recognizable friend is like an anchor, a safe place to land.  But the whole work does not have to be realistic or representational for that pleasure of recognition to occur.

Stop! That was the lesson to me on this one. I had printed the whole collage almost monochromatic, all brown tones. I though it needed just a LITTLE splash of a different color. I put in the bit of blue with a brush after the work was composed, wet-into-wet. This is the kind of thing where I frequently kick myself for going overboard. I held back so the blue would be just a hint.

The little details can make or break an artwork  — whether it’s a large work or small. And the details can teach a lot too. If you are creating work in your studio now, take a look at some little things and see what lessons are there. If you are a lover of art but not a maker of art, take a look at some of the work you have collected and look close at little details. My hope is it will help you to find something that makes you love your art even more.

If you would like to see more of my collaged works, there are a number to see on my website, in the Wednesday Collage Gallery: HERE

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

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

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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