Art & Life with Salli Babbitt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Salli Babbitt.

Salli, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
As a child I knew by age five I saw things with a different eye than most. I saw things in patterns and multicolored just a tree or green tops. I saw an infinity of branches, a multitude of different colored leaves, and patterns of blues left by the open spaces in the canopy. By six my parents bought me my first oil painting kit (no acrylics back then!) My first recollection of a finished piece was the rose bushes in our back yard. By Third grade I was doing the hall bulletin board by myself. By 10 I was going to the Museum of Fine Art Houston on Saturday for kid classes (everyone else was at the kid movies in Bellaire theater). By junior high I was excelling in painting, ceramics, drawing, and sculpture. I was even going to summer school to take art. And so, you get the picture…. It was my life, my passion, my uniqueness.

During college I went from to transformation of serious landscape artist to Conceptualism so popular in the 70″s.
At University of St. Thomas I from intellectual art to be a struggle but we had the best professors at the time: Earl Staley, Jack Boynton, Dick Cabral. We were strong, crazy, daring, broadminded with a passionate. Eating and dreaming ART constantly. It was Euphoric! I finally met and loved Dick Wray, Jim Dine, and Mac Whitney. I loved their art, the freedom in color, the fluid movements, just everything about their work was so exciting! Then starting my love affair with Abstract Expressionism. I am still to this day dreaming, scheming, developing, manipulating color, color patterns, and color interactions to create visual effects innate within me.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Let me say this, being an abstract expressionist isn’t the easiest type of artist in the world, nor the hardest but it is intense, all consuming, and sometimes overwhelming. It can bring you to your knees and it can create tears and fits of gigantic frustration. It can be the happiest moments in your life when you create a break through! so not all fun n games……

I try to develop the best backgrounds for my layers and layers of paint I use as I must have this intrinsic quality of luminosity that actually surfaces from underneath. I think that comes from my short stint at Sam Houston under the tutelage of Gaddis Geeslin (in my Master’s program I left unfinished). I spent months learning to perfect scumbling. I am the best! I developed ways to make my work shine from the inside out as well as give of different glows depending on the time of day. I don’t use this as a selling point but it’s just something I must have in the work! I want people to walk in, see a piece of my work and feel the passion. The light, the love of color and movement. I enjoy the happiness I see in people’s faces when they are admiring my work, the expressions of intrigue and wonder. That makes it all worth it to show it. I work in several media now. Since I’m a major player in the abstract art teaching world and a Golden paints art educator, I try to find all kinds of unique and different ways for my students to paint. Sometimes this carries over in my own work since I’m always developing prototypes using new products for them. I also work in Encaustics (beeswax and pigment) and desire a more luminous effect with the wax, even burning it with shellacs.

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Wowser, the world has become so tiny! I can go to almost any city. Country or state and run into someone who has bought my work and/or taken a class with me! It’s a huge responsibility! I feel like I always have to be on point/the best/the happiest/the most knowledgeable that I can possibly be. I never know who I’m going to run into and what their needs are going to be. Sometimes I get an order for 10 pieces of huge art or a five-hour private class in Beaumont! Every day is a new experience. I’m at Aqua Fair at the Art Basel Florida event once a year. I get to see art from around the world. It helps me make a lot of decisions about my work and about what I want to add to my teaching repository. I’m in a couple of major interior designer houses. The furnishings sometimes ignite a new fire of excitement under me!

I’ve shown everywhere they want me to from a couple of major galleries in Houston, to real estate offices to private home shows. I’ve been in juried shows and tent shows. Judged and juried more exhibits than I want to remember!
I teach at art leagues, art alliances, corporate offices, birthday parties, and just tons more! I just fervently enjoy teaching about art and getting my hands just excitingly colorful! I would rather be being selling art everywhere, but realistically, I just can’t do that with a family and put my whole heart in it!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I teach in the education center in Art Supply on Main in Near town Downtown. I get all kinds of students from teachers to doctors to physicists, nurses, designers, artists and beginner artists just wanting to start their careers in art. I also get artists who have worked in realism for years, that have decided to enhance their work with abstract techniques. Many artists come to me for critiques on a whole body of work or a new project. I try to help everyone!
I give a great deal of private lessons. Also Saturday workshops and my regular weekly classes are on my website if you have the drive, passion and desire to get fired up!www.sallibabbitt.com

As far as seeing my work now, I have a show Friday, September 14th at M-Architect from 6 to 9 pm. just at opposite end of where the Last Concert Cafe is on 1206 Nance. This runs a month and you are welcome anytime during the week to visit the work! Also Saturday night September 15th I am at a POP UP one Nightery at Arka on 4715 Main that starts at 6:00 pm. I love to visit with you even if you already have a houseful of Salli Babbitts’!! It’s just so lovely to be surrounded by those that believe in what I do and enjoy it’s beauty.

I have some work on my website but I even get people who drive down to the San Leon pennisula where my Studio is to buy to it so my inventory changes constantly! Bring a crab net and a fishing pole! You can always email me for an update in when I’m showing pieces in Houston. Google me …there’s about 24 pages and half give my email address!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1226 7th st.
  San Leon Peninsula,TX 77539 studio only2711 Main Houston ,TX 77002 teaching studio
• Website: www.sallibabbitt.com
• Phone: 7138705120
• Email: sallibabbitt@yahoo.com
• Instagram: sallibabbitt
• Facebook: sallibabbittart
• Twitter: @sallibabbitt
• Other: www.etsy,com/sallibabbitt

Image Credit:
Salli babbitt

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