Well, according to Wikipedia, mixed media is an artwork in which more than one medium or material has been used in the creation of an art piece. Collages and paper elements are two common components of mixed media art. But you may also find other elements such as cloth, objects, natural elements like leaves or flower petals, stamps, stickers, the list goes on.
The first modern artwork to be considered mixed media is Pablo Picasso‘s 1912 collage Still Life with Chair Caning, which used paper, cloth, paint, and rope causing a pseudo-3D effect.
Here at The Consummate Victress, mixed media is all about the texture and vibrancy you get from combining paint, ink, paper elements like vellum or tissue, and various techniques to stray from the usual ‘flat’ finished project you see in traditional art.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good old-fashioned traditional painting. But the process of creating a mixed media piece is so liberating! And there is just something about the messiness of mixed media that makes it look elegant and complex. Plus, it’s almost impossible to duplicate a mixed media piece so each one is uniquely it’s own.
What you should know about mixed media
Before purchasing a mixed media piece online, it’s important to understand what you’re getting. Mixed media art is intended to be viewed as a whole – and not necessarily close up. If you start focusing on one piece of the art and look at it really close, it will lose it’s appeal because you will see the elements individually instead of as a ‘part’ as intended.
So don’t be disappointed if you get a piece of mixed media and don’t initially like it. Hang it on the wall or set it on an easel for a few days and observe it from afar. If it still doesn’t float your boat, then return it. (At least here you can return an art piece; I don’t know about other artists’ sites.) But chances are after you view it the way it was intended – from not-so-close-up – what you loved about it when you chose it will amplify!
Because of the texture and various elements in most mixed media pieces, they can be framed but often have to be framed without glass. The glare from the glass will sometimes diminish the textures, making it not as glorious as it is without the glass. And the texture increases the thickness so sometimes they don’t fit in frames with glass very easily.
Mixed media that contains glitter, foil, or gold leaf – or anything like that – may ‘shed’ when handled. I don’t use those things for that very reason. I’ve got enough cat hair in my house. I certainly don’t need to add glitter to the mix, but it’s something to be aware of. Especially if you purchase a mixed media piece from somewhere else.
As for The Consummate Victress,
Our mixed media pieces contain paint (mostly acrylic but occasionally, oil), paper elements, and ink. A few pieces will have a small plastic element or washi tape. But nothing too bulky and never anything that will come off on your hands.
If you want to learn how to do mixed media yourself, using items you have around your house, join our Mixed Media Wonder Women workshop series!
In the meantime, stay colorful!
