Douglas Baulos

Spell Binding: The work of Douglas Baulos, assistant professor of drawing and bookmaking, is composed of “myriad layers of media, ideas, and associations,” he says. “I assemble and harness my feelings and my reflections on historical and autobiographical events by creating book objects and paintings that have the aura of those emotions imprinted on their surfaces. I begin with fragmented images, ideas, and materials, and layer seemingly dissimilar elements that trigger associations in complex combinations.”

The new studio space includes a key ingredient, Baulos says: plenty of shelves. “I keep lots of things around that are pure inspirations—a jar of wishbones, old spools of thread, and old bottles with sorted collections of fossils, antique needles, rusted parts, and more.”

Even though his work is intensely personal, Baulos says he enjoys his large windows. “It’s liberating to have a studio with sidewalk views,” he says. “It’s a much-needed light source for me, since I draw—and it allows 24-hour viewing by friends and the community.”

Putting It All Together: “Most of my recent work reflects a multitude of interests, including body posture, meditation, vision, medical illustration, and spirituality,” Baulos says. “The process of piecing together an image is a kind of meditative exercise for me, having as much to do with duration as physical texture. I see it as a function of time, like the idea of chanting. I want to personify intangible experiences and feelings and make them tangible for my audience.  The figurative nature of some of my works stresses the idea of transformation and recovery over victimization. I’m interested in forms and images that accompany the body and in the traces the body leaves: a bed, a coffin, a funeral urn, and shadows.”

Learn more about Baulos and see additional examples of his work here