Art notes: Messing around with mixed media

As a growing artist, I strive to learn new forms of media and expand my skill set within the forms I am already familiar with. Each month I work this practice into my monthly goals. From local arts groups to online videos to how-to books, I make sure that every month I am focusing on continual learning, continual improvement. This past month I took a two-day mixed media art class at my local art gallery, so my path jogged in a number of directions, which, actually, I think is a great way to begin an art journey.

And now I am going to confess.

Before I took this workshop, I googled “mixed media art.” I wasn’t quite sure what constituted mixed media art. Would I be drawing? Painting? Working with globs of wet paper and glue? The short answer is yes.

In the workshop, I used all sorts of tools and intermingled a number of media to create three pieces of artwork.

Project #1 involved paper and paint

Project #2 involved printmaking

I etched my floral design into styrofoam, rolled the green paint over the etching, and then pressed the thick card stock paper over my template. I plan to trim this print and place it in a white frame.

If this project had a name, it would be “unfinished.” Three weeks later, it is still laying on my kitchen table unfinished. I am in the process of gluing pieces of paper along the edges to create a border. Then I will put it in a natural wood frame and place it in my work area as a reminder of the beauty and strength of sunflowers.

This class was so much fun. When our teacher announced that we had just 15 minutes left on the final day of class, I silently screamed “NOOOOO!” I couldn’t believe how quickly the time had passed. I enjoyed learning face-to-face from a veteran artist & educator, meeting other like-minded people, and, especially, seeing everyone’s projects at the end.