Today we’d like to introduce you to Renae Baumgart.
Hi Renae, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My love of paper began as a child. My dad brought me home seconds from the paper mill he worked at. That kept me stocked with huge paper pads to do whatever I wanted. My favorite pastimes were creating paper animal puppets, books and probably very unfunny comic strips. At this time I was also reading the C.S. Lewis Narnia series and the idea of talking animals really took hold. Today any animal I make I think it just might have something to say.. As an adult I loved historical wallpaper and filled my home with as much of it as possible . I ran out of walls to paper and began using it in my art. Wallpaper is my paper of choice. I like the colors and strength for all I put it through.. I used scissors at first to cut out my creations, but that all changed after the bird incident. My son’s blue headed conure, Bella developed quite a taste for paper ripped right off the wall. As it didn’t seem to diminish her health in any way I had to learn how to repair and apparently how to watch her better. Scissor cut replacements, worked, but I found hand ripped blended better. Now I love the soft imperfect edges of ripping. It suits me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have found that most of my artist friends can be solitary creatures. Myself included. We crave time alone to create and work and that isn’t always possible with raising kids, helping with grandkids and now helping with aging parents, if there is a struggle it’s probably the struggle of most people…..being productive with time. I now have family in our lower half and an elderly mom down our hallway. It’s all good, but if I can only work alone with my thoughts I’m in big trouble. I’m much better at toning out and working at the dining room table. The mess still gets to me though. When I stand up bits and pieces of paper and glue flutter off. You could find me by the trail I leave.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like to come up with an idea and rip my way out. The thoughts in my head work their way down my arms and out of my ripping fingers. I’ll end up with flexible fingers or claws. I free hand rip every picture I have formed in my head. It rarely ends exactly like I envisioned but that ok. It really isn’t as laborious as it sounds either. At least to me. I rip as fast as I’m mentally thinking of the picture. For example if it’s a mermaid or any head I usually start at the crown of the head and rip my way from there. No matter what the subject is I like to rip out the eyes early. It sounds odd, but it brings them to life for me. and by the time I’m down it’s like I’ve made a friend.. I collect old frames of interest and I tell myself I have enough interest to now last the rest of my life. It’s hard to resist a good frame as my studio downstairs can attest. It’s not as much a studio anymore as an interesting storage unit. I hunt for actual wallpaper too. A challenge in this peel and stick world . I miss the old wallpaper stores. I have added paper to frames too. I love texture and sometimes it just needs more. My husband is very good at cutting new wood to fit each frame. I treat it with a good primer and began with the background. Ripping, gluing, working forward to the final seal. Now in my octopus art I go for big round wood discs . Those legs can’t be contained in a frame. If I do use a frame. I like to think of it as being the cover of a good book, the picture in it being a story to enjoy over and over and on the back of any picture I’ll add a bit more paper as a fitting “The End”..
What makes you happy?
In my art work animals make me happy. I like them in groups being together or taking a pause enjoying life. All on the whimsy side as I know it can be a difficult existence for them in the wild. It reflects my enjoyment of being together with good friends and family. It’s a real blessing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @renaesripstudio
- Facebook: Renae’s Rip Studio
