Artist Barb Sistak Baur's Favorite Medium -- License Plates! Colorful, Worn, Textural, Rusty -- She Repurposes Them All into METAL ASSEMBLAGE

Lynne Kornecki
Jul 27
2 min read

Updated: Jul 27

One Night Only at BLUE MOON GALLERY, 18620 Belvidere Road, Grayslake, IL

| Guest Pop-Up Artist, Barb Sistak Baur | "On the Bricks"

Saturday, August 2, 6-9pm

Scroll down to view more of Barb's art...

Barb Sistak Baur describes her artwork as "Metal Assemblage" fashioning license plates into works of art. Always an admirer of metal work and texture, license plates provide just the textural advantage, plus the color, she seeks for her finished products.

Because her husband has been running a successful online vintage license plate business for many years, she has a plethora of plates at her disposal as "raw" material. At last count, they had an inventory of 14,000 license plates carefully stored away in their 6-car garage. And since license plates were originally designed for just one-year of use, they are quite malleable for repurposing.

"Back in the 1950s-1960s, the State of Illinois issued residents colored plates for their cars making using them a great choice. Plus, you can easily beat them up to be even more rugged looking," Barb explains.

Evidently, antique license plates aren't that difficult to find, according to Barb. She and her husband regularly scout out swap meets, flea markets, car shows, garage and estate sales to bulk up their inventory.

Barb got involved in art later in life after purchasing the book, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" to teach herself how to draw. Later she took classes through Columbia College in Columbia, MO along with various workshops.

She enjoys using tools creating sculptural, 3-D effect work where some pieces actually can stand by themselves. Her most popular items are U.S. flags and themed pieces such as those relating to U.S. Route 66. Prices range from a few hundred dollars upwards to $800.00

HERE'S WHAT BARB SAYS ABOUT HER WORK...

"My current works reflect themes of adventure, political criticism, peace, and war. This is represented via flags, Route 66 references, and abstract sculptural works. Because nothing says “America” like the automobile, license plates are apt for commentary on our country...

"My metal assemblage is art created by taking linear objects and distressing, altering, manipulating or cutting the objects and then re-combining the pieces in meaningful, expressive ways. This is an extension of my exploration of texture and surfaces. The textural treatments demonstrate my desire to move beyond a flat canvas. It follows earlier work that included a found door encrusted with keys, figures created with layers of manipulated, painted paper and a deep exploration of textural acrylic 3-D paints. This continuing effort has brought me to the intriguing materials of old license plates and other found objects."

All of the pieces in Barb’s August 2nd pop-up show are available for purchase. Send inquiries to Kendra Kett at bluemoonklk@yahoo.com