I enjoy the beginning stages of artmaking.

For paper collages, the very beginning is ripping rice paper from its full size sheets to the working size I’ll use on my monotype printing plate. This is a surprisingly pleasing and soothing task. I enjoy the process of tearing against my metal ripping bar. I like stacking up the sheets, ready for creating images.

For fabric artwork, the beginning stages generally involves some background painting.

I like this stage too. I begin to envision the layers that will come after the initial layer. I begin to get a sense of the palette.

I have a new art quilt in progress - in its very earliest stages. It will be based on images from a photo shoot I did on New Year’s Day. A small drainage stream near my home had some wonderful images of reflected trees. The picture above shows the paper color copies on my easel, along with a few other images I might like to incorporate. These pieces are ready to be transferred to muslin. Hanging them up helps me to begin to see patterns and consider compositions.

I have set aside fabrics that I think might become a part of this quilt. I’ll hang them up on my easel too, to begin to see how the parts might fit together. I’ll see the missing parts too, to determine what else I need to print.

This is a different quilt – one I just completed. I was further along on this one. Fabrics printed and selected, and photo transfers done. Now I’m seeing how it all fits together.

In all kinds of artmaking, there are parts of the process that are especially pleasing and inspiring, and parts that are more difficult. (And sometimes a piece reaches a point where it’s just a slog to get through it!)

Capturing the pleasure of the parts you most enjoy can help you stay on course when you reach the harder parts.

. . . . .

Coming Event: Studio Tour. My studio will be part of the “Off The Beaten Path” Studio Tour in West Volusia (the DeLand area,)  Florida. March 5-6. 10 am – 5 pm. If you are in central Florida I hope you will come visit. There are 11 studios to visit in the DeLand area. It’s free. You plan your own tour, going to what interests you. In my studio I’ll show where and how I work, and also have one-of-a-kind work available for purchase. (Including some super bargains.)

Coming Event: Shopping Opportunity  Several times a year I release a new series of matted paper collage artworks. The next new release date will be Wednesday, February 23.  I will send out a reminder e-mail, then send pictures of all the works the night before the sale goes LIVE on my website, then the work will actually be available on Wednesday evening. I have been so grateful in the past to the great response. (It gets pretty fast and furious!) If you are interested in receiving this information, you’ll need to be a subscriber to my monthly newsletter. You can subscribe 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

BLOG POSTS  Mostly about what I am creating in the studio. If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail, please subscribe here:  I post and send by e-mail each Sunday evening. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL