This weekend was my first chance to get back in the studio in a week.

(Friday was driving home day from SC and Georgia – as much of it as we could on HWY 441 and other back roads away from the Interstate. So much to see and absorb!)

During the drive, I mentally composed a few new works I want to try. So I began my studio time this weekend bringing nothing but ideas, and the chance to work from the very beginning on a piece that will be a whole cloth painted fabric.

At the beginning: Prepping (gessoing) the fabric

I get a lot of questions about this stage so I’ll elaborate a bit.

There is actually a product you can buy called “gesso.” It is a white (usually)  paint primer that's used to prepare surfaces before painting or drawing on them. It's made from a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or other ingredients, and can be applied with a brush or sprayer.

But, ever since a conversation years ago with a fellow exhibiting artist at a street festival, when she told me she used white latex house paint primer as gesso, that’s what I’ve used.

My usual fabric of choice for a substrate is plain, unbleached cotton muslin. When I gesso it before working on the image, it seals the surface just a little so it takes the paint better when I get to the stage of adding color and image. And, it keeps it from having quite so much stretch and give.

Use a light touch. You don’t want a big heavy coat of latex paint on your fabric. I generally spritz the fabric, then dip my brush in water, then dip it lightly in the paint, then paint it over the surface fast, maybe watering it down a little as I go.

I hang it outside on my fence to dry.

Next I masked off areas that will be painted differently from each other.

This big lime green square is defined by a masking tape edge. The other areas have been defined by torn-edge freezer paper for uneven edges.

I am working each section separately, then unmasking.

I’ve used several image-creation techniques so far.

The big lime rectangle I painted with a paintbrush directly. (It’s quite flat a little overwhelming to look at so far. I’ll be toning it down as I add more layers on top of the lime. I’ve saved it for last because I haven’t decided what I want to put in there)

The 2-color area top left and top right are created as a lightly painted wash of pale blue overpainted through tree-shape stencils using a foam roller and darker blue.

The bottom section filled with organic linear shapes is monoprinted on a gelatin plate.

The under-paint of washy lime and blues was painted directly. Then I laid roots and other natural forms on the gelatin plate and printed the dark background.

Nothing so far this weekend is completed. Just some colors and textures coming together in a way that interests me. And the pleasure of being home in the studio again.

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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