Baumwoll Archives

I’m pleased to share a new direction in my husband Andrew Reach’s artwork. He’s re-connecting with his architecture by working in 3d with a twist. He’s creating 3d models that he then transforms into 2d prints.

scroll down page to see images of artworks

Below is what he wrote about his new process and the first of these artworks QUADRABAR:

My experimentation in working in 3D to create 2D wall artworks first began with my commission to create a 3d printed tactile sculpture for the exhibition W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, & Disability at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. I would take a deep dive into territory I briefly took back in 2015 with my 3d printed “MODEL CITIZENS” sculptures I created for my solo show “BITS IN PIECES” at the Maria Neil Art Project. As an architect my brain thinks in both 3D and 2D. I haven’t practiced architecture since 2005 and my transition into an artist had my brain delve into new territory that I think was inside me all along but waiting for the time for it to express itself. This new terrain involved thinking differently about the creative process with a focus in 2D, with a vocabulary of color and shapes in a single plane.

So that brings me to the present and these first two artworks in a series I’m calling “3D Derivatives”. The idea of an artist being derivative often has a negative connotation, as being imitative of another artist. But I’m using this word in a different context; that of something that is derived from a source, in this case the source being a 3d model. The process of creating the 3D printed hash sign first began with 3D modeling. With the model I rendered different color schemes. I could get a very good approximation of what it would look like in the real world. With this 3d model a lightbulb went off in my head as I realized this could be a tool to create 2d artworks by exporting a render to create a print.

A 3d model can be viewed in many ways, orthographically and in perspective, from the top, bottom and sides, from different angles, rotated… etc. Click here to see this fly around animation.

These are the first derivatives of QUADRABAR, titled so because it’s a series of cubes intersected by bars. QUADRABAR I (orthographic) is looking at a top view of the 3d model as an orthographic projection. Orthographic projection is a means to represent 3D objects in 2D. Think of architectural drawings of a house called Elevations representing each side of the house in a flat plane. QUADRABAR I (perspective) is looking from the same vantage point but in perspective. This view begins to tell you that there is more going on than can be seen in the orthographic view. The cubes are shifting up and down, undulating in a wave like formation. In the renders, there is a light source coming from the upper left casting shadows across the forms that adds further dimension.

UPDATE: Click here to QUADRABAR I, the first of the artworks derived from this 3D model

My Husband Andrew Reach is working on a new piece in 3d in Blender. Made up of multi-colored cubes intersected with multi-colored bars, the cubes step up and down, forming a kind of undulating geography. Here’s a short fly around screen cast of it.

Andrew’s using this 3d medium as a new way to make 2d prints. This is a new artistic process for him he’s calling 3d Derivatives. When he made a 3d printed Hash sign for the recent W/O Limits exhibition at the Artists Archives, he first did renders of it to study the form. A lightbulb went off in his head and he realized he could take these renders, export them out and transform them into 2d cnc cut-out prints. Here’s an example: ESCAPE HASH II – CNC Cut-Out Print on Acrylic

His next step with this piece is to study renders with different light sources at different inclinations to cast realistic shadows across the forms. He can set up camera views looking at the forms in multiple ways; from the top, the sides, at angles, rotated etc. In addition to this, he can view it in perspective or orthographically. With the right views and lighting, he will be able to do high resolution renders and export them out to be printed on acrylic and cut out on a cnc router.

Like all of us, as another year is about to fly away into memory, each of us has had challenges that live among the joys we experienced this year. In 2023 we look towards the new year to come as a fresh start. With hope in our hearts, Bruce and I wish you and all the loved ones that touch you, joy this holiday season. And to all our creative friends we look forward to seeing the beauty to come.

For any of us who grew up in the Rockaways and for others who went to other amusement parks around the country, many have wonderful memories of having fun playing Skee-ball . Here are some wonderful Skee-ball images. If one closes their eyes you can feel the wooden ball, feel the throw and hear the sounds that were part of the playing this simple game. I can feel the thrill of the ball going into the 50,000 hole and seeing my points go up.

Photo by Pam Neff

Photo by Photoseeum

Photo By Masterfile

Photo by Amy Strycula

Photo by Buck Roe

Photo by Defoues

Photo by Shore

Gary Moyer

From left, American artists Bill Giles, Anna Moreska, and Robert Rauschenberg with choreographer Merce Cunningham and composer John Cage watch artist Jasper Johns play skee-ball in Dillon’s Bar

Photo by Skee-ball inc.

Photo by Skee-ball Inc.

Photo by Skee-ball Inc.

Timeline from Skeeball.com