Magda Baker is drawn to the way prints can show gesture and reveal the process of printmaking. A life-long artist, she grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and has lived and made art in Seattle, Washington since graduating from Bennington College with a B.A. in printmaking and political science in 1992. Magda also works as a lawyer in public defense.

Magda has shown her prints in numerous galleries, including the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, Connecticut; the Edmonds Arts Commission in Edmonds, Washington; and AMcE Creative Arts, Studio E and Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington. Her work has been included in exhibitions at several universities, including University of Utah, University of Richmond, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Loyola University, William Patterson University and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She has a print in the King County, Washington Portable Works Collection and has received a fellowship from Women’s Studio Workshop, a grant from Allied Arts and the Pratt/Seattle Print Arts Partners Grant.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I combine the printmaking mediums of collagraph, monotype, linocut and aquatint with collage to depict a variety of creatures. The first creatures I created were devils wearing outfits full of pattern and color. Devils are traditionally evil, but the devils I make are cranky or mischievous at worst. As charming monsters, they are both good and bad, calling into question the binary nature of virtue and vice. Recently, I have started making new kinds of creatures, such as cats and girls, wearing their own expressive, colorful outfits. I dress all my creatures as though they are paper dolls, developing their sensibilities as I print and shape their outfits, giving them a sense of play.

Much of my older work reexamines and celebrates the familiar. Some of my prints reference domestic and traditionally feminine work, such as cooking and sewing. They often depict the mass-produced objects related to those tasks as a way of examining the personal connections with inanimate objects that develop as each object becomes integrated into an individual home. Those prints use pattern as a way of mirroring the daily routines in which people use the objects.

Some of my prints are abstract. They focus solely on pattern and color. I inked and printed circle stencils as part of making these pieces. As with my other work, my abstract prints repeat shapes and patterns from piece to piece.

CONTACT

To contact Magda with questions or comments or to purchase a print, email magdabaker1@gmail.com. You can see more of Magda’s work on Instagram. A few of Magda’s prints are available on Etsy.

RESUME

Click to download Magda’s resume.