Barb Frances’ Lazy Dog Design studio in Aromas is one of more than a dozen that will be accepting visits as part of the San Benito Arts Council Open Studios Tour set for April 28 and 29
Barb Frances’ Lazy Dog Design studio in Aromas is one of more than a dozen that will be accepting visits as part of the San Benito Arts Council Open Studios Tour set for April 28 and 29
When artists open their studios to local residents April 28 and 29, one Aromas artisan will be inviting guests in for the first time.
Barb Frances, who moved to Aromas less than two years ago, said she could not participate in the past because she did most of her work in a back bedroom. But about a year ago, she hired an architect to remodel the garage of the home into a studio with tall windows to let in the light.
“We just got finished (with the remodel) in February and I got the email about Open Studios,” she said.
The Open Studios Tour will feature artists from all around San Benito County who will invite guests into their studios to see how they create their work, a free event organized each year by the San Benito County Arts Council.
Frances has a quilt and some wall hangings on display at the Blak Sage Gallery as part of the Emerging Artists and Open Studio Preview Show, up through April 26. But her textile art goes beyond decorative into functional as well. During the tour she will show visitors to her Carpenteria Road home how she makes the wall hangings, quilts, pillows and shoulder bags that are marketed for use at farmers markets.
“I sew whatever I feel like sewing,” Frances said. “I love the handwork on the quilts.”
On a Friday afternoon a couple weeks before the tour, Frances was working on a king-size quilt for a friend. She showed how to pull a piece of thread through the fabric to create stitching of the leaf pattern on the quilt.
“I do a lot of handwork,” she said. “It does get expensive because it is
all organic and sustainable materials.”
The fabric she uses is made from hemp, and the dyes are soy-based. The filling for the pillows comes from kapok, a plant that has a silk-like material inside its seed pods.
Frances had a large quilt recently appraised at a Watsonville quilt show, and it was valued at $4,000. The pillows and farmers market bags go for significantly less in effort to offer some affordable items, ranging from $95-$225 for the pillows and $38-$46 for the bags.
She credited Mary Finch with helping her keep on top of ordering supplies and managing the financial side of things as they increase sales of her products.
She dubs her collection “Lazy Dog Designs” and she has a pit bull rescue dog that fits the description – she said the dog often lounges in the sunlight while she works on her projects.
“Most of the time she fits the bill of lazy dog,” Finch said.
Frances said she has always sewn, and her grandmother was a seamstress.
“I was the youngest of four girls and, in order to have new things, and things I wanted, I started sewing,” Frances said.
She took home economics and tailoring classes in high school that furthered her skills. She got especially interested in quilting after a trip to Hawaii where she saw the traditional quilts made.
“They cut them out, like a snow flake, and then open it up and put it onto the backing background,” Frances said. “I didn’t know how to cut them, and there is a very solid rule that you don’t copy other quilts.”
She started coming up with her own patterns, mostly inspired by plants. One of her favorites uses the pattern of seaweed swaying in the ocean. She showed another item that had a pattern from a plant that sits inside the entrance to the studio.
“The majority are still ocean based and all are plant based,” she said. “I don’t do well with geometrics.”
Her family members have started taking photos of plants to send to her. Though the handwork is still her favorite, she is hoping to create some clothing. She heard kimono jackets may be coming into style and she can picture a quilted jacket.
One of the things she and Finch also do is support animal-friendly nonprofits. If they get a call or email from a rescue group asking for an auction item or raffle prize, they send off an item with the Lazy Dog Design label.
For now they are both looking forward to sharing the artwork with family, friends and neighbors on the tour. The only downside they can see is that they won’t be able to visit any other studios that weekend.
“Shortly after we moved here we attended the Open Studios Tour,” Finch said. “We got to see other local studios and get that experience.”
Open Studios Tour
April 28 and 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
15 artisans are participating in the 2012 tour. For a map of participating artists, stop by the Blak Sage Gallery or visit http://sanbenitoarts.org/programs/open-studios/. Get a sneak peek at some of the artwork at the Blak Sage Gallery through April 26 at the Emerging Artists and Open Studio preview exhibit.
