Deborah Baskin
About | Deborah Baskin is a Boston-area artist and architect. For more than 20 years Deborah has led a small residential practice, doing old home renovations and new construction, in New England, Florida and Washington DC. In recent years Deborah has turned her attention to creating art in multiple media, including various forms of painting and wood sculpture. Deborah and her husband Rob live in Davis Square with their children and various pets.
Most of her design work is Japanese inspired in one way or another; whether it’s a painting, a sculpture, an outdoor garden, an Ikebana flower arrangement or a three dimensional living space. The ideas of transient and stark beauty, aging and natural patina, grace and subtlety, are principles she uses to underpin most of her artwork. Recently, Deborah has been experimenting with Shou Sugi Ban- the traditional Japanese art of charring wood to achieve an intensely rich black and brown color that she finds kind of mesmerizing. She has also started playing with cast-off cardboard remnants, enjoying their gridded structure and matte brown paper, and what happens to it when added paint, glue, and the sliced lines of an Xacto blade.
Q&A
What are your earliest memories of being artistic? One that stands out is being absolutely smitten and in awe of a particular, flowy, incredibly bright magenta, pink, and red organza dress that my mom wore in the 1970’s, on special occasions. She wore it with long white, elbow length gloves that my sister and I just died for.
When did art become a pursuit? I have been designing homes, spaces, interiors and gardens for many decades, but I wasn’t able to take the leap into 2D art until I took a class a few years ago at Concord Art called “Non-Anxious Collage” taught by my friend, teacher and mentor Alexandra Sheldon. She’s amazing.
Velvet, charred wood, cardboard, paint, and glue
Are you self-taught or formally educated in visual art? Both!
How did you first become involved with CAA? A friend who is on the CAA Advisory Board recommended that I take a look at the incredible transformation and progress that CAA Director, Erin Becker, has made in recent years revitalizing the program into a very dynamic, inclusive, and forward thinking space for artists. I looked into it and wanted to get involved!
In what other ways are you involved in the local art community? I live in Somerville and have participated in Somerville Open Studios as well as many other arts oriented events that our city sponsors and organizes.
Jewelry Box 1 & 2, charred wood, cardboard, paint, and glue
What is your creative process? Where are you finding ideas for your art these days? I am inspired by anything that is in front of me that I can see and that I find beautiful, interesting, engaging, funny, weird, or useful. I spend a lot of time in Vermont, so my work definitely has an organic, craft art, woodsy vibe.
How do you choose your subject matter? Is there a reoccurring theme that carries throughout your work? Currently I am working with cedar log chunks, cardboard, and cast-off paper because these materials are, at the moment, free, available, and malleable in a way that I find intriguing.
In your opinion, what’s your best/favorite piece you’ve made? Last summer, while walking in the woods, I found three large rusty steel rings that must be over 100 years old. I’m guessing they are wheel parts from some kind of old agricultural vehicle. I mounted each ring on a large birch stump and set them together in a nestled pod in my garden. Walking around them, there are many different views: at, on top of and through the red and rusty rings. When snow falls and lands on top of them, they are delightful.
What is one of your artistic goals? No particular goals. Mostly I just feel the need to work with my hands and make things.
Black and Brown, charred wood panels, paint, and graphite
What’s your favorite place to see art, and why? Outside! I am very interested in outdoor, large scale public art at the moment. I’m also very into neon.
What living artists are you inspired by? Mark Bradford. Theaster Gates. Leonardo Drew. Sarah Sze. Tara Donovan. Maya Lin.
Do you own any art by other artists? Is so, what artists? Lynette Shaw. Hilary Tait Norod. Kathryn Geismar. Morgan Cohen. And many other local artists.
Do you have any shows coming up? Give and Take. Now on exhibit at CAA.
See more from Deborah
Website: deborahbaskindesign.com
Instagram: @dbaskin111
Deborah is featured in our exhibition Give and Take, which highlights five CAA members that engage with collage thinking in their work. The show runs from April 1–April 30, 2021.