Mixed Media- a peek into the process
From left to right: making gelli prints on transparent papers, a finished mixed media painting, mixed media supplies (brushes and artist crayons)
I might not have discovered it, but school at home spring 2020 forced me to try things differently.
The strain of it all left me feeling like I needed to create to be ok, and also with no choice but to do it in small, spare moments. Mixed media paintings were an answer.
15 minutes before zoom? Paint a quick background. 10 min after lunch? Add some collage. There was a lot of running downstairs to my creative space, and back up again to help with school.
It didn’t feel like there was time, but I found some becuase I needed it. Moments here and there, working small and in layers, painting helped me release the building tension I kept inside. A life-giving practice during a stressful time.
Since then, mixed media is something I keep coming back to because it’s a good fit when there isn’t much time to create.
There’s a special place in my heart for the first layer of paint because that’s when it’s easiest to be out of my head and truly present.
Here, imperfect brushstrokes, splatters, and drips are welcome. I capture a few words on my mind in loose handwriting. It doesn’t matter if they can be read. There are no mistakes. I notice how often I add messy scribbles and wonder about that. They resonate with me, maybe because it feels like real life. Somehow they helps me relax and settle in.
Collage is next - bits of sewing patterns, maps, sheet music, words from a book I love (i.e. Anne of Green Gables!), or a colorful pattern found in a magazine.
Sometimes I make my own collage elements on translucent papers that let me see through what’s underneath.
I’m fascinated by how these little pieces of paper guide me to a place I wouldn’t have gone otherwise. It challenges my tendency to stick with the familiar, stretching me to stay open to unexpected possibilities.
Working through more layers, my thoughts drift and art and life meet - the fear of the unknown, the courage to try and to keep going when things don’t look so great. This is leading somewhere even though I can’t see it yet.
Sometimes I get stuck. The painting has been twelve inches from my face for too long and I just don’t know what to do. So I bring it upstairs to see it from another perspective.
In the bigger context of my living room, it’s easier to see where more light is needed, or how a particular shape feels too heavy. It’s satisfying to notice a problem and work to resolve it.
I’m guided to practice trust as things unfold a little at a time. I crave knowing how it will come together, but the discovery is rich and meaningful. All these emotions and experiences matter because it’s shaping me. Through it all there is seeking, and painting becomes prayer.
12 Mixed media pieces created between 2020-2024 are now available
Thank you for your interest and support!