I like surface design in my work to have a lot of variety and energy.

But I don’t want it to look like I just threw the fabric and paint down the stairs and I got what I got.

I am more pleased with the final results if I combine the spontaneity of hand printmaking with some attention to connecting the patterns across the work.

For a work in progress, I am getting to ready to build a section that connotes life below the ground. I want to suggest roots and connectedness to the earth.

Here’s where I started this weekend.

When I printed this piece, I had not intended that the “rocks” section and the “roots” section would go together. I was just using up two halves of the fabric. But, once I printed them side by side, I really liked the interaction: completely different patterns, but printed in the same color.

Now my task is to create more pieces that will work with this one.

Let’s walk through some steps:

GETTING READY.

I had the piece of teal fabric already. It’s a little overwhelming for the place I want to use it. So I’m thinking about overprinting a monotype in a mixed red-brown complement to the teal in the same “roots” pattern as in my beginning section. Already, I can see I’ll have both unity and variety: the roots pattern will appear now in two places.

“INKING” the plate with acrylic paint.

GETTING READY TO PRINT

PRESSING THE FABRIC INTO THE IMAGE WITH MY HANDS

REVEALING THE PRINTED PIECE

Now I have some already-printed pieces that I want to relate to this one. The backgrounds are rock shapes as in my original piece, but a smaller size. They are a little flat. Some splashes of the red-brown should add energy, then also relate these two sections to the teal one I just monoprinted.

You’ll notice that the two rock backgrounds are opposites of each other. One was printed from a rock-shaped stencil. (Rock shapes - paint.) The other was printed from the ghost image of that stencil print. (Background around the rocks = paint.) This is another way to connect different fabric sections.

MEANWHILE, BACK TO THE TEAL + RED-BROWN

This fabric is a little bigger than my plate, So, I printed it a second time along the bottom in a less tall strip. Maybe I will cut them apart. Maybe I will keep them together in one big section. I did a relief print of the linear pattern on the less tall strip to connect to the other pieces I had just stamped with those lines.

To these just-printed pieces, I will add others I have collected for this work. Some neutral yellows, a bit of orange. I don’t know yet if I will overlap them as organic forms or square them off into block sections. That exploration is for my next studio session.

. . . . . . . . . .

TA-DAAA! I completed a large two-panel quilt recently: (It is also built from hand-printed fabrics. A richer palette.) Discerning What is Real.  Here is a detail of one half of the finished work.

I had this one in the works for several months. I’m pleased with the results. If you’d like to see the whole work it’s on my website 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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