tel: 503-775-2038
email: studio@marcybaker.com

BIOGRAPHY

Born in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, Marcy Baker earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in 1982. The following year she and her husband headed west, exploring the Sierra Nevada region of northern California before settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1991. There, Baker discovered monotype printmaking, the ideal method to express her affinity for pattern and color. Inspired by the sparse high desert landscape, her work progressed to include uncluttered mixed media collages. In 2001, Baker moved to the Pacific Northwest, fostering a dramatic shift in both scenery and her creative focus. A return to the Finger Lakes region in early 2024 connected Baker to a new, yet familiar, landscape.

Her layered process, cultivated by lush and abundant surroundings, embraces techniques drawn from painting and printmaking, as well as collage. Since 2006, Baker has taught creative arts classes that offer a supportive environment for all skill levels. Baker’s monotypes, paintings and collages have been featured in numerous solo, invitational and juried exhibitions nationally. Her work resides in private and public collections throughout the U.S., including Hallmark Art Collection, Oregon Health and Science University and Landfill Art Project.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

Collage requires an intuitive process of pulling apart, layering, composing and piecing back together. My work explores this organic tension through play with pattern, line and color, uncovering unexpected relationships and the balance between seemingly disparate elements.

My process draws from the versatility of monotype printmaking and the structure of painting, each informing and influencing the other. The conversation between the two feeds my technique, including transfer and resist applications of paint and ink with stencils, printing blocks and relief plates. In addition, I create collage papers through hand printing and acrylic glazing techniques, as well as utilizing repurposed papers such as sewing patterns, sheet music and maps, with their intricate patterns and delicate markings.

I fill my studio walls with seed pods, petals and leaves gathered during neighborhood walks, inspired by the boundless textures and patterns I discover. In this space, my work captures the intersection between the craft of art making and the craftsmanship of our natural environments, a quiet place for those elements to rest.

ABOUT MONOTYPE PRINTMAKING

A monotype is a single print created by applying layers of oil-based ink on a smooth printing plate and transferring the image to paper with a press. After the print is pulled, a ghost image remains on the plate that can be incorporated into the composition of the following piece. This creates lovely contrasts as the plate is reworked with some areas left untouched, revealing fragments of history from the previous image.