5 Choices: unique book. Old matchbooks are the subject of this composition.

What is Mixed Media Art?

"Mixed Media" is an increasingly popular designation found on exhibition labels. Simply stated, mixed media art is any work that involves the use of more than one medium. It may be a painting that incorporates found objects and collage; writing on photographs; or a work that combines drawing and painting mediums. Mixing media is not new, but it seems to be an idea whose time has come.

"Time Flies" Four found objects paired with an image, create a narrative.

Just as art world categories have expanded beyond the traditional drawing, painting and sculpture, the range of materials used has also increased. Braque and Picasso incorporated bits of text, fabric and paper in their Cubist paintings, Duchamp redefined art with his Readymades, and Joseph Cornell placed delicate found objects in his enigmatic boxes. A quilt, a stuffed goat and an automobile tire are dominant parts of two Rauschenberg combine paintings. Many early feminist artists included journals and domestic notions in their artwork. From buttons to chain saws, from paint to heavy gel, artists are exploring the expressive possibilities of combining unconventional materials to increase the impact of their artwork.

collecting & recycling - the pack rat syndrome - your grandmother's attic - fetishes & totems - parking lots & family photograph albums - the streets of New York & the thrift shops of Florida - the thrill of the hunt

Detail from "Taos News Diary." Bits of found debris are glued to gessoed newsprint.

Hunters and Gatherers

Mixed media artists are the hunters and gatherers of the art world. They are the ones with rocks and sticks piled by their studio doors, and stacks of old books and magazines saved for collage. They are also the recyclers—nothing is junk to these collectors. On a walk, they are constantly bending down to pick up rusty nails and bottle caps, leaves and shells, and any detritus that calls to them. The "stuff" of contemporary life holds endless fascination. They're able to make a story out of a discarded shopping list, a snapshot found on the pavement, or ticket stubs and gum wrappers nesting in the lint of a jacket pocket. This is artist as voyeur and detective, always looking for clues, for connections, for ways to express the unspoken.

Some favor the abstract found object, a fragment of something that may fascinate because of its texture, shape or unknown origins. Others look for correspondences such as a disintegrating cardboard box that suggests a shrine or picture frame, a weathered branch that appears to be a torso. By incorporating things in an artwork we are borrowing their essence, using them to impart an aura. They are meant to be "read" just as a text, color or shape is read.

A lock of hair, a broken doll, an old gear, a chewed up pencil, an old discolored piece of sheet music, a broken bottle—these may have fetishistic significance or historic resonance that provides the catalyst for a work of art.

"Eye to Eye" a found sculpture. The juxtaposition of the shoes and the eyeballs, the masculine and the feminine, inform this work.

Lesson Number One

The juxtaposition of a found object and an image can provide the needed tension in an artwork, adding texture and meaning difficult to obtain otherwise. Artists who are involved with the magic of "things," often proceed from the object, letting it suggest the outcome of a piece.

It's beneficial to share the following exercise with a studio mate.

Exercise:

1. Make a collection of four found objects—articles and odd things you are attracted to.

2. Do a short "free write" on each object by making a list of the associations and thoughts that come to mind. Write quickly and spontaneously.

3. Now read to each other what you've written. Listen closely for where the excitement is, where the "heat" is, so you can provide feedback for each other.

4. Select the object that generates the most interest and incorporate it into an artwork. It could be a collage or assemblage, depending on dimensions. One way to do this is to use the technique of juxtaposition—pairing your object with a background that gives it new meaning. This could be an image you generate yourself in a drawing or painting, or a found image torn from a magazine.

5. Look to your writing for the meaning of your piece. Consider incorporating some of your text into the finished piece. The text should serve a larger purpose by extending the meaning and not act as a "label."

See more constructions in the Art Work section of web site.

Inspiration

Abundant inspiration for mixed media artists is found in the living world around us. Study these images and think about how you could achieve these effects in an artwork.