This has been a weekend of studio juggling – a few different things in various stages of completion.

Friday I enjoyed a wild and furious session of fabric painting outdoors with my art friend Karol. We are working on a collaborative project, a very different experience for me. I’m sure I’ll have more to write about it in months ahead.

For now I’m enjoying looking at some of our painted yardage. We started with light in the back and just kept adding deeper color and textures, each of us contributing to each piece. Working outdoors we had the freedom to splash and spatter if so inspired. (We’re using acrylics on cotton muslin, in varying degrees of wet and dry as we worked.) Here’s a bit of our handiwork.

Meanwhile I’m working my way through the content section of this piece, which is aimed at social commentary. I’ll just share a face-in-progress and let you guess where this might be going.

Then it was time for serious work. I’m thrilled that my 2-panel work, “Discerning What is Real” was accepted into the Q=A=Q exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York. It’s a competitive show and I am excited to be a part of it.

BUT… part of the work of exhibiting is packing and shipping.  (Ugh.) I created this 72”W piece in two panels, both for the composition interest, and to help with the logistics of shipping.

 (For those who wonder about hanging an art quilt on the wall, take a look at this picture in the lower right. It shows the back of the other panel. I stitch a pocket across the top, created with a bit of ease so the hanging rod doesn’t show from the front side. The finished hole in the pocket at the top allows a D-ring to be attached to the hanging dowel. This will hang easily on a regular nail or picture hook.)

My works do not roll up small and tight as many quilters’ works do. Constructing with collage and painting surfaces with acrylics creates a stiffer final artwork. But, I can soft-fold safely to keep the shipping box size down.

After it’s soft-folded, I insert the quilt into a plastic bag for protection.

Now for the box. I buy a single size box to use for a variety of different sized items to ship. It is never exactly the right dimension, almost always requiring cutting down or building a custom box. For this work, I had to use one and a half of my standard boxes glued together. (Trade secret: wood glue is the best box-building glue, or a combination of wood glue + hot glue if you need things to set up fast.) Here it is, with the glued seams weighted, ready to fold up and assemble.

I am box woman!!!

. . . . . .

This week here in Florida, we are watching the track of the next hurricane, having watched Fiona wallop our friends in the north.  I send my hopes for safety to all those in these storms’ paths. The next one may head our way or it may stay on the other side of the state. We’ll know in a few days. I hope to be safe and dry a week from now in time to post next Sunday.  

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

How I keep in touch:

BLOG POSTS  - once a week:  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

NEWSLETTER – about once a month: Mostly news of exhibits and my way of introducing new work. You’ll get FIRST LOOKS at new artwork and members-only discounts. You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER