Art As Story: Bobbi Baugh

So here is one last artist from the Deland Art Tour on Feb 25.
This is Bobbi Baugh.  Bobbie is a self described mixed media artist who works with paper and fabric.  She sublists her media as  "monotype, collage, textile art, and art quilts.)
You can find her here.
Because I play with many of the same mediums (less quilting) it is inspiring me!!!

Not only is her art amazing...her thoughts are amazing too.  Her blog contains bits of what is happening in her life and in her journey through it.  They are worth following just to make you try out thinking more about what makes you tick.   

Bobby shares her art so genuinely and freely.  She has such thoughtful stories that spin through her art.  I absolutely love her stories and her art.  

The Non-Clock

Robert Brooks...February 25, 2017

Robert's Non-Clock

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to share with you a few of the artists that I got introduced to this past week in Deland, FL at the Art's Tour.  

I can't remember when I've experienced such a wide variety of approaches to art and creativity.  But Robert Brooks exemplifies a sense of story and beliefs that just blew me away.  Robert (who suffers from Parkinson's) is prolific in his need to express his feelings about life and time.  You can see his gallery here.

Bob works in pen and ink, pencil, acrylic and oils. He is a sculptor and a picture framer, a poet and has a doctorate in Christian Education.  All of his work is exemplary and stunning!  But the ones to which most of us are drawn are his wood sculptures.  They border on "steam punk" which you know would appeal to me!  

Some of his most recent works reflect his feeling about time and it's influence on our lives.  I was personally drawn to his non-clock for lots of reasons.  He calls his work "whimsical" but the depth of thought is very more than what that might lead you to think.  Although the clock ticks and the center sort of goes around, there are no numbers on his non clock and no hands to record time.  In fact the hands have been "locked" in a box at the base of the non-clock (you can see a padlock there).  Near the top is a compartment for "extra time" but it is empty and we really don't have any.  

Besides being a gorgeous piece of woodwork, the non-clock comes with a thought provoking poem.  

In the Passing of Time

In the passing of time

Three things all conspire

To measure our days

In seconds and hours.

The larger the hand,

The greater the power.

Each in it's own way

Set to devour.

First gentle in springtime,

Then summer and fall.

The older we get

They're not subtle at all.

What we need is a clock

That doesn't tell time.

No long pointy fingers there to remind

That we're late or we're early or even on time.

A slave to those hands I shall not be.

With no hands on the clock,

It's easy to see

That time doesn't count, if we're not counting time.

So let's live in the moment, the present, the now.

To those hands on the clock, let us not bow.

And really...

Who cares what time it is anyhow?

Robert Brooks

How is it with your soul today?

Daughter, Julie, and hubby at the Deland Arts Tour last Saturday

"So how is it with your soul today? Your mind may be filled with lists of things to do or problems to solve. Your heart may be brimming with new life or breaking with sorrow. But how is it with your soul? Whatever the day may bring or has brought, how are you experiencing God in this time?"

Talitha Arnold

I am privileged to get a daily devotional.  Something to get you thinking about the "real' stuff of life for a few moments usually at the start of the day....before you get distracted. 

Today's devotional reminded me of some thoughts and experiences of this past weekend.  Being reminded about the mystery of the journey we are on and about the way art is involved in the "stories" I tell about me and my pathway.

First I am reminded of the the lovely visit from my younger daughter this weekend.  Her life is full of lots of "soul searching" and exploration.  Seems like she has been given the task of taking me along with her and she travels.  Every time she spends time with us I am left with new books to read, new poems to think on, new ideas to share, new examples of how to connect with people and new ways of looking at life or even at the end of life.

Second I am touched by the artists I met this weekend on the Deland Florida Arts Tour.  Several of them gave me a chance to pause and give new consideration to "how my soul is today" and how my art responds to this question.

In the next few blogs I will share a couple of the artists that I met.  So be watching.  Meanwhile, how is it with your soul today?

Morning Sketches in Leesburg, FL

Sketches done at the Farm Center in Leesburg, FL on a funny ole weather day...little showers kept passing through all day.  Clouds flying over ahead.  Temps around 75...daughter Julie with me.

We both sketched for about two hours.  There were about 6-7 other artists sketching that morning.  LOVED the chickens!  

A two page spread is 8 x 11 in my Stillman and Birns sketchbook.

(Beta Series)

Kindness Zentangle®

3.5" tiles held together with hand-made washi tape

bits of colorful gelli-rint papers added along with labels and print

Some years ago some great gals started up a blog about "kindness zentangles" and I have been doing them ever since.  I bind two together with home-made painted washi tape and then add a favorite saying and a label that says "this is an anonymous gift for you to have or to pass on...it is made with kindness using the Zentangle® method. See zentangle.com."  I've been visiting folks at the local hospital and leaving them quietly all over in the waiting rooms.  Sometimes they disappear before I come back to the room!  Don't ever ask what you can do with your tiles!  Think of all the places you can leave them...get great service at a restaurant, leave it for your server.  Library?  Clinics and doctor's offices? Schools?  Etc.

Bird Stencils...cut our own

Stenciled birds on card stock

I want to have some birds in the background of a painting I am working on.  So I googled some bird silhouettes on line.  Then I cut stencils for the birds.  (I used a hot stencil cutter through plastic...that is the purple plastic at the top of the page.). I laid the design under glass and put the plastic on top of the glass.  

Then because I am working in watercolor, I used white gouache mixed with blues for the stencils.  For practice I did them on greeting cards.  I put the paint on with small foam make up sponges and stamped the color through the stencils.  

Preparing a graphite drawing for watercolor

Using a dry Cleaning Pad

In Ann Abcott's classes she teaches the use of a "dry cleaning pad".  They are absolutely marvelous for preparing your graphite drawings for watercolor painting.  You rub over them lightly with the pad and the whole drawing lightens up.  Can you see I've done the right side but not the left?  It may be hard to see.

The reason is that wc is so transparent that when you paint, the graphite may show through.  In some cases this is fine.  Even planned.  Other times you'd rather not see the lines.  And once wet, most graphite become pretty permanent.

This drawing (of a steam punk time machine) is done in .03 graphite pencil on 9 x 12 Fabriano 140# hot press paper.  

Joey's challenge: The letter "F"

Steampunk Valentines?

Two small cards...about 3 x 5 each.

Just finishing up the last of the Valentines for family and friends.

(I'm a big lover of Valentine's Day).  

These two crazy ones have nice fronts which are made with mono prints.  But I thought the insides were more interesting actually.

I believe I have been affected by the Steampunk Festival as a lot of things I am doing seem to have a steampunk feel to them lately.

These are two "machines" are love machines.  Who knew that is what they would become.

They started out as stencil rubbings..you know with a crayon over a stencil.  Then they "morphed".  Obviously made by some mad scientist bent on spreading more love.  I just let them evolve.

I used many mediums: wc, pens, markers, ink, crayon, pearlized drops, glitter, etc.  Just relaxed and let things flow.  Fun. Everything glued on with YES glue...my favorite paper to paper glue.  

These will go off in the mail tomorrow. All the grandkids ones got sent today.  

Diva Challenge:Hamadox

The Diva Challenge

This is part of a larger group of tangles, of course.

The the roundish one in the center is called "Hamadox"...the challenge tangle for this week.  VERY fun.  In here is also Bugzy, and Fe-Ba and Lily-eyes.  It is one of my 8.5 x 11 calendar pages.  Sometimes I work on them for months.  Sometime I finish them in days.  Just depends on the moods, the times, and the opportunity. 

 

I do question sometimes the "draw" of working on gridded paper like this and then hardly ever following the grid...but working all over it.  I think psychologically it is energizing to defy the grid.  

I've been thinking about that.  Sometimes I enjoy being "inside" the box and comfortable.  And sometimes I just need to draw all over in wide galloping tangles that defy all boundaries.  

Just like life, huh?

Urban sketching the A.S. Herlong fruit packing building

So here's the deal on this sketch done this morning in Leesburg, FL just a few blocks off Main street.  This building (built in 1913) is the now historic orange and grapefruit packing house for the Belle of Florida brand of fruit (possibly others too...as I have found half a dozen crate labels marked "Leesburg").  But this is the only label I could find with the Herlong name on it.

The building was named for an important Congressman (A.S. Herlong) who represented Fl for a number of years.    The building is now obviously 104 years old.  And it is getting ready for demolition in a few days...purchased by a local college (Beacon College).  So the art group came down to take photos for further sketches and I sat down and spent about 1-1/2 hours enjoying visiting with people while I did this sketch.

These labels are collectable.  And so down here in FL you are apt to find them in museums.

(I am wondering who the lady is?  Mrs. Herlong?) She is surrounded by orange blossoms.

Mount Dora, FL Art Festival

5.5 x 7" accordion folding sketch pad (2 page spread)

Near the ice cream stand and the ATM machine!

A really lovely Saturday afternoon spent in Mt. Dora, FL at their well-organized art festival.  Don't know the count this year...but normally over 10,000 people attend.  They have a good shuttle bus system.  Everyone was having a grand time and the weather both days was perfect...sunny and in the upper 70s.  

This was our one time to sit down all afternoon (with ice cream).  I did a 5 minute sketch while Greg finished his.  Added color at home.

Here's what it looked like out in the main walking areas! 

ps. Those of you who sent little notes about our granddaughter Abby and her heart ablation...I wanted you to know things went fairly well.  She came through with flying colors but unfortunately they did not find exactly what was causing her arrhythmia so they did not do the ablation as planned.  She may have to go on some medication for her tachycardia which does not seem to have a straightforward cause.  So that part was a disappointment.

Zentangle® on Marbled Paper

4 x 6 notecards

Tangles on shaving cream marbling. 

I've mentioned doing this marbling in previous posts.  You can get the instructions online or if you look through my "labels" on the side bar for marbling I think I may have it there.

The "black and blue" series however seemed a little mysterious and it called to me to do something a little different with it.  It felt "outside the box" to me.  It was a bit time consuming mostly because I spent quite a bit of time searching out the tangles I wanted to use on it.  

They reminded me of reflected oil slicks on puddles.

I stuck with the black and blue theme.  Although looking back it might have been cool to tangle one space with red...give it a bright center of interest.  

Both of these are on the front of cards and un-tangled marbling on the back of the card.  I found some great buys on colored card stock at Michaels a few weeks ago and I stocked up.  Also bought nice stock envelopes.  No reason to ever buy another Hallmark card!  

Valentines for the grandchildren

This is what happens when you have 12 grandchildren!!!

I love using home made washi tape on envelopes.

The Valentines themselves are made from "shaving cream prints" that come out looking a lot like marbling.  Very fun.  You can do it with watercolor, food coloring, or fluid acrylics.  I used mostly pinks, purples, and red.  I added some stencil work with acrylic paint, some glitter,  and some cute plastic stickers from Michaels.  
Inside I embossed "Happy Valentines Day". 

My grands range from 11 to 26 and so there's quite a range.  
Miss them all.  Abby (17) is having heart ablation surgery on Feb 2.  Everyone is holding her close to our hearts in a whole new way right now.  She has sinus ventricular tachycardia.  This is her second ablation.  Tough for someone so young!!!  But she has fantastic doctors.  We are trying not to worry.

Lollywimple Birthday card

4 x 6 card stock with 03 Micron and Prismacolor pencils

Lollywimple is my current "Mac and cheese" tangle...you may have noticed.  Here it is on my grandson's birthday card.