Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Long Live Mixed Media Art


Picasso's "Still Life with Chair Caning"
A mixed media artist often combines at least two mediums in one piece of artwork. According to art history sources, the term mixed media (also termed collage) began around 1912 with the art of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso.  However, it was really around well before these men made it avant-garde.

Before Picasso, there were artists from the Byzantine Empire (330 to 1453) who used gilded gold leaf (I use gold metal leaf flakes today, along with innumerable embellishments like manuscripts), frescoes, mosaics, and original manuscripts on their paintings.  By the Dark Ages, however, artists weren't feeling as inspired.  But by the Renaissance, artists started popping up with canvases everywhere and art was coming alive again!  And when the Cubist Movement came around, artists were given artistic freedom to change points of view and play with dimensions...this gave new meaning to mixed media.  

And who were the leaders of this art movement?  Hint...hint...they are mentioned above: Picasso and Braque.  Although they did not work together, their artist expression was similar.  They both chose to work with space and form as the main focus in heir compositions, rather than painting realistic images. 

It was in 1912 that Picasso created his first mixed media piece titled "Still Life with Chair Caning." He took a canvas and dared to paste paper and oilcloth in combination with painted areas.  He dared and proved mixed media art deserved a name. 

Today, mixed media is a celebrated art form by amateur and professional artists alike.  Creativity with mixed media is filled with infinite possibilities...and in my opinion...is best kept that way.  Just about anything can be explored and used within the limitless boundaries of mixed media. 

~Mary

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Getting Ready for the Next Show

Last Friday, I drove out with my mom to Millwood, Virginia to drop off her paintings for a spring art show.  If you haven't been to Millwood before and you are ever in Virginia, it is a must see...like going back in time.  The scenic drive out there alone is worth the effort.  (Be sure to check out more photos of beautiful Millwood at the end of this post...then breathe in...breathe out...and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.)

This week, it was my turn to drop off artwork to a show called Chick's Picks.  Not only have I been busy helping to move my family into our new home, I've been feeding my canvases with encaustic, paint, vintage images, and embellishments of all kinds.  Have I ever mentioned I love embellishments (I'm detail oriented and focus in on small intriguing things and often appreciate life's little treasures, by the way). 

So, all this in preparation for Chick's Picks...an amazing show that comes around every few months.  If you don't know about Chick's Picks, check out Hillary's website here: https://www.chickspicksbyhillary.com/.  The theme for her show this month is very ROYAL, in honor of the upcoming nuptials.  Here are two of my eight pieces that will be showcased there.  If you are in the Northern Virginia area, you should stop by Chick's Picks.

April 14 - 16:
Thursday, 8am - 8pm
Friday, 9am - 7pm
Saturday, 9am - 2 pm

Victorian Dressing Room

Marie La Fleur

Off to shuffle some more boxes around...
~Mary

P.S.  More of Millwood...