"I have always loved color. What was more exciting than opening a new box of Crayola crayons on the first day of school, or watching paint fly off the “spin art” wheel?   That same childhood passion for color and color relationships is what drives my creativity today.

I work in two different mediums:  fiber and acrylic paint. As a painter, I use palette knives, brayers, sponges, brushes, and more, as I play with ways to apply paint to paper, stretched canvas or wood panels. I may also incorporate collage elements and other materials to add nuance in line, shape, color, and texture.

As a fiber artist, I start by creating my own fabrics using fiber-reactive dyes. Techniques include immersion dyeing, dye-painting, and various printing and resist techniques. I then use these fabrics to create color-saturated art quilts, sometimes incorporating commercial batiks and dupionis silks.

 

The construction is based on multiple layers: a pieced top, a bottom layer, and a layer of batting sandwiched between them to add depth. Decorative stitching holds the layers together and creates added texture, line, and movement. Finally, I finish the top with an edging that is typically not visible from the front. In short, I draw on traditional methods to create non-traditional work.

Much of my work is abstract and non-representational, but I also draw inspiration from rural, urban, and imaginary landscapes.    All of it, I hope, will generate the same childhood excitement and sense of wonder that came opening that new box of Crayola crayons.

 

My primary inspiration and motivation are the desire to create vibrant compositions that attract the eye and draw the viewer in for a closer look.  If I can generate that same childhood excitement of opening up that new box of crayons, I consider my work a success. 

 

I made the following video for the Greater Ithaca Art Trail's 2020 open studio days to provide an on-line overview of my work and studio.  Click on the link below to take a tour and learn a little about my design process."

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- Barbara Behrmanns