From the bedspread to the wallpaper, it is easy to lose yourself in the line work of LaToya Hobbs’ warm morning scene.
One of five works in the Carving Out Time series, Scene 1: Morning invites us into the home and family of the artist as she starts her day.
Carving Out Time stands as a tribute to the life of the African American woman as an artist, educator, and mother. The dynamic and intricate carving of the work embodies the balance of labor and love in her daily life and roles.
Born and raised in Little Rock, Hobbs was always interested in the arts. But not seeing herself (or any successful artist of color) represented in art, she pursued biology at the University of Arkansas.
However, Hobbs found art vital to her happiness, and left the program to study painting at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Her work expanded into printmaking, where she explores the ideas of identity and beauty.
The COVID-19 pandemic offered Hobbs the opportunity to focus on her family while providing the inspiration for Carving Out Time.
Whether waking up with her family, managing virtual classwork and housework, preparing dinner, putting the kids to bed, or working in her studio, Hobbs employs varying textures in the series to create detailed scenes of her life.
Throughout, Hobbs references artists who influenced her like Elizabeth Catlett, whose work, Roots, hangs above her husband.
Despite the monumental scale of the cherry wood panels, Hobbs completed the Carving Out Time series at home with her children, so they might witness the full process of her work as well as see themselves represented in art.
