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Born in Michigan in 1947, John
Baughman studied art at the
University of Michigan,
the University of California at Berkeley and Otis Art
Institute in Los Angeles. He also learned paper
making at the Twin Rocker Paper Mill in Indiana.
After many majors in several colleges and a hitch in the
US Navy, John Baughman returned to his place of birth,
Grand Rapids, Michigan in the early 1970’s. He
started an art sales company and began doing custom art
projects for the contract furniture manufacturers in his
backyard. Baughman worked with the facilities
Design Groups at Herman Miller, Steelcase, Westinghouse
ASD, Hayworth, Stow-Davis, Knoll and others providing
custom art for their corporate facilities, Neo-Con
Showrooms, Designer Saturday Showrooms and dealerships.
In the late 1980’s John formed Marshwood Studios Inc., with his wife, artist Jan Richardson-Baughman. They share a passion for the outdoors and landscape. They raise horses and work in their studio on their small farm in Western Michigan. Since turning full-time to printmaking in 1985, Baughman has worked with virtually everyone in the industry. Designers had placed more of his art than anyone else’s in the world. John’s current work incorporates layers of color and wax on paper and canvas. An avid trout fisherman, he has always used veils of color reminiscent of water in a stream. His work is elegant yet strong. Layers of color and nuance of motion are the background, while division of space with characters and elements of landscape form the frontal plane of his work. John Baughman’s work has been widely exhibited and included in private and corporate collections worldwide. More biographical detail is here. |
 Landscape A Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Landscape B Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Mingus Series A Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Mingus Series B Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Terestre Series A Painting on paper by John Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Terestre Series B Painting on paper by John Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Aerial Series A Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900  Aerial Series B Painting on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins $900   Rivulet Paintings on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 22 x 36" plus margins Sorry, sold for $900 each |
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 Leading West Series Painting on paper by John Baughman 36 x 22" plus margins $900 |
 Shibumi Series Painting on paper by John Baughman 36 x 22" plus margins $900 |
    Series Four pastel drawings on paper by Janet Richardson Baughman 17 x 14" plus margins $350 each  Cascade Series Painting on paper by John Baughman 30 x 30" plus margins $900 |
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 Large Disc A Painting on dimensional concave wall disc 48" diameter $2,400 |
 Large Disc B Painting on dimensional concave wall disc 48" diameter Sorry, sold for $2,400 |
 Medium Disc A Painting on dimensional concave wall disc 30" diameter $1,600 |
 Medium Disc B Painting on dimensional concave wall disc 30" diameter $1,600 |
 Amarna Series Pair of paintings on panel with chiseled texture and gold leaf May be displayed "stacked" one above the other as shown in the above photo or horizontally side-by-side. They could also be displayed as verticals instead of horizontals. Each painting is 12 x 24" Sorry sold for $900 for the pair  Miles Series A and B Pair of paintings on panel with texture Each painting is 18 x 18" $525 each ($1,050 for the pair, $2,100 for the series of four)  Miles Series C and D Pair of paintings on panel with texture Each painting is 18 x 18" $525 each ($1,050 for the pair, $2,100 for the series of four)  Las Colinas Painting on paper 16 x 36" Sorry, sold for $750  Holiday A Painting on paper 36 x 22" Sorry, sold for $750  Cascade Diptych Two paintings on paper 36 x 12" each $600 each |
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His mother always thought he was just a little bit of a rebel. And not just because he mixed his paints and painted out of the lines on his paint-by-number pictures. To this day, John Baughman marches to his own drummer, which is apparent when viewing his multi-media artwork. That is also part of his charm. Growing up in rural Western Michigan, John was the oldest of five children. There were no artists in his family, but he was interested in drawing at a very young age; he differed from most young artists in that he wanted to be experimental rather than ordinary. A kind, neighbor lady, Paula Larson, who was a Director of Art, encouraged John to keep his interest in art by always leaving artistic materials on her kitchen table. They were open to him whenever he pleased. John's father was an executive for GM, and hoped his son would grow up to be an engineer. John loved to draw cars, and entered the contest that the company held every year to design autos for the future. Airplanes were something else he enjoyed drawing. During his high school years, John had several other buddies who enjoyed drawing as much as he did. In addition to that interest, he says they fished every stream in driving distance of home and loved sports. He played three sports in high school and still has a deep love for baseball. After high school, John left for college which he says was a big mistake. He quit and joined the Navy where he was sent to Vietnam. There is no doubt in his mind that this experience influenced his painting. John went back to college after the Navy and attended seven different colleges changing his major many times. He still wasn't where he wanted to be. Defining his strengths, John knew he could write, draw and sell ideas making advertising seem almost ideal and quite appealing. John's foray into the business world went very well, and he eventually owned his own company. During this time, he met a woman who was also an artist, and worked with her for several years. The two of them later married. John and his wife, Janet Richardson Baughman, bought acreage and moved there. Turning one of the buildings into a studio, the couple continued their artistic endeavors as well as ran their business. Of his art, John says, "Art is the core of my life." When viewing his abstract paintings, it is clear that he is not locked into one thing. Oils play a very important role in his art, but John art is continually experimenting using new mediums. To say he is multi-media is almost an understatement. He is still an "out of the lines painter," and feels that it is very important for an artist to be willing to take a risk. An innate sense of arrangements and space plus his use of the color palette, which is all over the place, cause John's work to constantly change. A subject that he has painted, he may readdress, and it will look completely different. Inspiration for his art is all around him. Sometimes he finds it running between his legs when he is standing in a stream or perhaps looking at the beauty that surrounds him where he lives. As time has passed, his artistry has evolved into a more sophisticated look with his paintings now having more layers and texture. John hopes that people viewing his art will find order and peace. John and Janet raise sport horses on their farm, and train them to be dressage (disciplined form of exhibition) horses. They feel the same passion for these animals as they do for their artwork. John still loves sports, and fishes as often as he can. Both he and his wife are golfers. Assuming the title of "sports uncle," John spends several evenings watching his three nephews play baseball. And still hugely important in their lives are their three grown children, who live in various parts of the country. Janet remains John's largest influence in his artwork. He feels there are so many great artists that he it is difficult for him to choose favorite a favorite, but he does love Mark Rothko's work and emulates small elements. He also greatly admires Conrad Marcarelli. In the future, John says he always sees himself working. The couple may go to the region of Provence, France one summer and paint. Especially appealing to him would be to see and paint the lavender fields. Most importantly, to John, now and in the future, is that he is always doing the best that he can do at the moment. The gift this artist shares with all of us is his ability to "paint out of the lines." Janet
Baughman
We are saddened to report
that Janet Richardson Baughman died October 29, 2014
A
move to an eighty-acre farm in Western Michigan from
Detroit suited Janet Richardson Baughman to a tee.
She and her three siblings loved country life, and
relished the many humorous adjustments to their new
surroundings. The one-room schoolhouse she
attended, for example, contrasted sharply to her earlier
city school. Sports programs had been fairly
sophisticated in the city. Rural sports consisted
of her teacher piling everyone in her car, including the
trunk, and then driving the children to another one-room
schoolhouse for games. When Janet reached the
sixth grade, a chapter in American history closed because all of the one-room schoolhouses were annexed by the nearest cities, but that unusual educational experience is something Janet fondly remembers. Growing up in a family that was very artistic, it is not surprising that Janet loved drawing. She and her brothers and sisters would make Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree and had ongoing art projects all year long. Her architect father was an artist in his free time. As the children have become adults, they are all involved in artistic endeavors from carving to sculpture. Janet's high school years were spent riding and showing her horses. "That was my life," she says. Living on the farm allowed her freedom to indulge her love of animals including the dogs that were so special to her. Active in 4H, Janet became an accomplished seamstress and an excellent cook. She took no art classes in high school although she sometimes helped her father with drafting. Starting college with the intention of majoring in speech and drama, Janet took an art class only because it was required. She found the art classes so appealing that she took one after another. Eventually, having taken every art class offered, the university had to design independent studies for her. With her beloved horses back on the farm, Janet discovered a new passion, and that was ceramics. First working as a waitress during college to earn income, Janet later became a Student Assistant and lived at the Ceramics Studio. As an assistant, she would make clay and glazes, fire the kiln, and assist the instructor however she could. At first, she had planned to become a high school teacher, but she was encouraged to earn her graduate degree and pursue her artistic endeavors, in addition to teaching. Janet graduated in 1975 with a BFA in Ceramics and Weaving from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Following her mentor's advise, she went to Indiana State University in Indiana for her graduate work where she studied under Dick Hay. Demanding, but very laid back personally, he expected a lot from Janet, and she grew from his expectations. She joined the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts ( NCECA) which is a ceramics networking organization. It has a national conference each year where ceramists, educators and studio artists meet. She was on the Board of Directors for two years. Janet received her MFA in 1977. Moving back to Western Michigan, Janet found teaching positions with various colleges and taught art history, ceramics and a myriad of classes. However, she never forgot her mentor's advise which was to continue her craft. Janet met businessman/artist John Baughman who sold her artwork around the country. Janet bought a studio and her work was selling so well that she no longer needed to supplement her income with teaching. Janet and John had a business relationship for several years until life took one of those magical twists, and their relationship blossomed into much more. Later, the two of them were married. John and Janet bought acreage and moved to the country. Turning one of their buildings into a studio, the pair became extremely successful influencing them to concentrate only on their artwork and discontinue the sales end of his business. Janet is an extremely talented artist. It is difficult to believe when one sees her pastel, mixed media of pencil, oils and collage landscapes done on paper that this is the same artist that designs and makes very sophisticated and stylized ceramics. The natural beauty that abounds where she lives inspires her artwork. Interestingly, she also derives inspiration from her ceramics for her paintings although the two are quite different in style. Her paintings are stylized and readable, but she does not look for minute detail when she paints. These soft landscapes create a feeling of bucolic peace and serenity although Janet does not consciously paint a message. Janet says of her work, that it is like a dance or conversation in her head, which she expresses through her art. Janet lives an almost idyllic rural existence with her artist/husband who she says is "the love of her life." They work together everyday, and for them it is the perfect partnership because they compliment one another so well. Together they raise and train horses, and are expecting three foals within a year. In addition, she loves to garden and after the tradition of her grandmother and mother, has a huge vegetable garden. She and her husband love to cook. They enjoy golfing together as well. Their three grown children are still very important in their lives, and Janet sews intricate costumes for her daughter when she shows her horse. In the future, Janet thinks that living in Virginia with horses and continuing with her art would be perfect. She, along with her husband, would like to spend a summer in Provence, France and find a whole new inspiration for their artwork. And, she continues to look for new avenues to express herself in her ceramics. The passion that Janet has, for the many things she loves, will allow her to translate that into her unique and beautiful artwork for many years to come. |
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