Being Creatively Courageous.

I thought I would include something here about one of my favourite art applications - mixed media. It’s such a diverse topic and, in teaching it, I have come to realise that by its very definition, it can be both confusing, and even overwhelming! So lets take a deeper dive into what it actually means and what it can offer, no matter whether a beginner or experienced artist.

In a nutshell, mixed media offers a broad platform for us as visual artists to express our personal narratives and a freedom to explore a wide range of creative possibilities as opposed to the perceived constraints of single-medium art. By combining different materials and techniques in a single painting it’s possible to create really unique and dynamic pieces and this allows for more nuanced and complex expressions of ideas - to work outside the box so to speak.

I use mixed media when I want to create a wide variety of textures, depth and dimension by layering different materials such as acrylic paint, watercolour, pastels, inks and collage elements. In this way I am not only able to build up the surface but by scraping back into it I am adding further visual interest and another dimension to the artwork, inviting viewers to interact with it on multiple levels. 

If you have never used mixed media in your work I would encourage you to give it a go - be creatively courageous, take risks, push the boundaries beyond the physicality of the paint, explore and experiment without preconception of what the finished piece will look like! There is such freedom in this approach, whether you are a hobby artist looking to try something new or an experienced professional wanting to push the boundaries of your creativity. The possibilities are endless and the results [and happy accidents] can be very surprising!