Unique Abstractions Group Show

I don't know a single artist who doesn't, at some point (and possibly at many points), think, "Does anyone really connect with my work or does it just resonate with me?" And when moments like that hit me, my initial reaction isn't to dismiss the thought. My initial reaction is, "And who better to resonate with your artwork than you, Barb?" I create because I need to. Because every bone and cell in my body is anxious and agitated and spinning madly unless I do.

But it's also incredibly satisfying to see one of your pieces in someone's home or to have a gallery invite you onto their walls.

I am so excited to have one of my CELLULAR STORIES pieces accepted into Las Laguna Art Gallery's group show, UNIQUE ABSTRACTIONS. Featuring local, national, and international artists, the show runs from May 4 to May 27, 2017 with the artist reception Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This particular piece is one of my favorites and was the first where I incorporated my "paint slide" into my spray paint, hash mark, and marbling layers. It's a complex piece that offers up so much texture and depth. The piece is untitled because I want viewers to experience it uninfluenced. However, I will share with you that when I was working on it (and as I step back and take it in now as a finished piece) it became a representation of the emotional work surrounding my relationship with my parents and their relationship to one another.

"Complex," "textured," and "depth" are appropriate words for nearly everyone's relationship with their parents, right?

I'll be at the artist reception on May 4 and am so looking forward to seeing the collective group work hung in the gallery. I would love to see you there and experience the show together.

Las Laguna Art Gallery
Unique Abstractions Group Show
Artist Reception: May 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
577 S Coast Hwy - Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Magnus Colo: Opening Saturday at Dab Art Gallery

Rogue Thought, 2015
Marbled Wood Panel
24" x 24" x 1.5"

I am so excited to finally give you a peek into one of my favorite series to have worked on in the past few years. I've been keeping this work under the radar, not sharing it publicly on any social media, but now it is making its great debut at Dab Art Gallery this Saturday as part of the group exhibition Magnus Colo. 

From the press release:

Dab Art is pleased to present MAGNUS COLO. An exhibition featuring the colorful and intriguing works of Franscesa Saveri, Rebecca Woodhouse, Huntz Liu, Janet Milhomme, John Swartout, Lisa Daniels, Kirk McCoy, Barbara Skoog and Perfecto Baloloy Jr. 

Using the strategies of accumulation, saturation, and the repetitive mark, these artists explore their fascination with color saturated space and form. From the delicately controlled hand cut lines of Huntz Liu’s layered paper piece Spilt 1(2016) to the jostling interaction of Perfecto Baloloy’s Food Trip (2016) and Barbara Skoog’s Rogue Thought (2015), where contrast controlled surroundings and fluid lines are layered in between heavy color.

Inside Underneath, 2015
Marbled Wood Panel
20" x 20" x 1.5"

I started creating this series last summer, during the two-week residency with my New Ground collaborator Liz Kalloch. There were moments in between working together on our collaborative pieces where I needed to bust out on my own and exercise different creative muscles (partly because of my ADD-like personality and partly because I was stuck or tired or inspiration struck or I was waiting for something to dry before working on it more). What started out as a simple exploration of bold color blocks eventually led to adding overmarbled "windows" that were in response to the interesting shapes that emerged from the color-block background. 

Happening, 2015
Marbled Wood Panel
24" x 24" x 1.5"

After returning home from the residency, I continued work on the series. both on wood panel and on paper. I'm thrilled that six of the wood panel pieces will be at Dab Art ~ one in the group show and the rest in a second gallery. 

Also part of the show are several pieces from another series I started work on earlier this year. In these pieces, I created distressed marbled backgrounds and then overmarbled both geometric and organic shapes using masks. 

To Be Seen, 2016
Marbled Wood Panel
8" x 8" x 1.5"

Mindset, 2016
Marbled Wood Panel
8" x 8" x 2"

Three pieces from this series will be a part of the group exhibition and five will be included in the second gallery as well.

Curator Yessica Torres has pulled together a strong show ~ you can check out some of the featured work here and the list of invited artists here.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the instillation and meeting the other artists at the Opening Reception this Saturday. I invite you to join me and experience the show in person, meet the artists, and share in an evening of color and intrigue.

GROUP EXHIBIT || MAGNUS COLO
Opening Reception || Saturday, April 16, 2016 || 7-10PM || RSVP
Dab Art Gallery || 1793 East Main || Ventura, CA 93001

 

Then this Happened

From the studio yesterday.

Stories

Here is another direction I've been exploring. I'm loving the circles these days. Making them in the tank is such a trip. Patience (and more patience), an understanding of what your paints are doing, the depth of the bath, weather (I've been working in humidity levels as low as 13%...yikes!), and more patience all affect the outcome.

These are all on wood panels. I paint a background color, marble over it, sand it a bit, and sometimes marble and sand again. Then I mask off a shape (oh, I'm in love with shapes these days as well!) and marble again. Finally I remove the mask and voila! 

I think these broken ~ or interrupted ~ circles tell such a story and, when combined with the organic shapes and distressed backgrounds, there is quite a narrative going on.

Things are Hopping in the Studio

Two new works-in-progress...

Meet me at the corner of Color and Movement.

Nervous about this one...eeeeek! A few more rounds to go.

Another Set of New Work

These took a while to emerge. And there are lots of layers. Layers on layers of layers. Some are emotional. Some are pages from a vintage garden book. Others are regular paint and marbled layers. And in between is the spiritual. These pieces are personal. And now, it's time to let them go.

New Work: Summer Series

I am so, so happy about these new pieces fresh from the studio!

These are the story of my summers ~ this summer and the many before. The colors are inspired by Minnesota greens and Push-up orange (the frozen treat!). Light and airy, these pieces conjure up the sound of loons, the taste of fried sunnies, and the smell of approaching thunderstorms.

I have been working a lot on wood panel lately and even though I find it more challenging and limiting than paper, I'm enjoying the exploration. I've also been playing with incorporating other artistic mediums and materials into my pieces ~ in this case, adding paint, wax and glaze.

These one-of-a-kind, original pieces are for sale in my shop. Head on over to check them all out.