I am sure I have written before about what a sucker I am for a beautiful watercolor sky.

I love the freshness of watercolor. I love the way the artist (generally) is not compelled to slave over detailed rendering of cloud and light as an oil painter might. With a few simple strokes, working wet-into-wet, a skilled watercolor painter creates the feel of sky without actually depicting realistic elements. It’s just yummy.

As I’ve learned to work in collaged textiles and paper, I am the most pleased when I can capture that same feel, created in my chosen medium.

This week I am looking again at The Magic Socks

This is one of the pieces I recently submitted for exhibition in Quilts Unlimited. It was accepted and will be part of the show. (Exhibiting at The View, Old Forge, NY, October 2 – December 4.)

In this work, the contrast between the sky and the town is very important. The sky represents an imaginative journey. The town is boring reality. So, they have to look different.

Here’s a look in the studio at the creation of an ethereal sky. (This is actually a different quilt, but created in the same way.)

I create the image as monotype on a gelatin plate. I try to keep the feel wet and organic, as opposed to depicting actual things. I print one section on the plate then move it down to print more. On a sheer fabric, with practice, the elements of one section blend beautifully into the next.

Blending in the sky of Magic Socks is also part of the storytelling. The transition of color from blue at the top to brown at the bottom is another way of depicting contrast between the imagined flight and the boring reality. Once the sky is close to the boring brown town, the sky is brown too.

I was also pleased with the hint of green I added to the sky in Magic Socks. I painted this directly in the quilt after it was composed, using very transparent acrylic paints. It’s just a hint, but it adds to the feel of an imaginative journey.

Monotype plus collage can create watercolor-like effects on paper too. Here are a few landscape images from my website where I experimented with different ways to depict sky.

To create any effect that interests you, the secret – alas – is time spent in the studio. Nothing replaces the hours spent learning your medium and materials.

How fortunate for me there is nothing I enjoy doing more!

If you would like more information about The Magic Socks (and more storytelling quilts) please visit bobbibaughstudio.com + galleries + Stories and Journeys gallery.  If you would like more information about the three collages shown (and more) please visit bobbibaughstudio.com + galleries + Wednesday Collage gallery.

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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