Tag Archives: mixed media

Techniques and Tutorials

Book Quotes Mixed Media Art

I’m an avid reader, and I used to keep a journal where I’d record favorite quotes from books, sometimes stopping every couple paragraphs to record something! When art journaling became a big new thing almost a decade ago, I started turning some of these quotes into visual journal pages as demonstrations for my art classes. I hadn’t done something like this in a very long time, but while reading ‘Census’ by Jesse Ball earlier this year, there was a phrase that really stood out to me and I decided to turn it into a small piece of art to hang on my bulletin board in my home office. I started with a light pencil sketch, then used watercolor pencils. Once that dried, I chose areas to highlight with stenciling and metallic acrylic. Last, I added details and the quote itself with paint markers. Lately I’ve been very into layering patterns into my art with stencils, and love how they can take a sketch or watercolor painting that is quite simple and basic up a level and add new dimension and meaning.

I hope you enjoy the demo. In case your auditory processing is iffy as mine can sometimes be and you prefer to read, here is the transcript for my description of why this quote stood out to me as much as it did. (One of these days I’m going to have to figure out adding captions on youtube! Definite 2026 goal!)

‘The Census by Jesse Ball is a surreal take on a wacky census taking journey in an alternate version of the US, where a dad travels on said journey with his adult son with down syndrome. This choice was made in honor of the author’s brother with down syndrome who unfortunately passed young. It’s a great book anyway, but this thought the main character has while meeting someone wearing a bunch of rings and pins of the different groups they belong to stopped me in my tracks. 

“I have always despised people who join societies. In general, I feel that groups of any kind are for the weak. The need for consensus is the most disgusting and pathetic aspect of our human world. Is there none who can simply wander alone beneath a sort of cloth tent painted with dreams?”

Yes, it’s harsh, but I don’t think this paragraph is saying community in general is bad. As one who has never been a joiner and experienced some angst over that fact, that last line awakened a sort of bubbling-over joy in my spirit. I was never part of one core friend group, rather on the periphery of several groups growing up. I had many intense interests, but never wanted to join any clubs. Even as an adult, I have been part of a few art groups but at times get easily frustrated with the politics and drama and end up quitting (all the ones I’m thinking of have already disbanded, so none currently in action haha!). I thought about joining a local hiking group, but then realized what I love about hiking is being alone and quiet in nature. I attend church but have never become a member, and though I definitely lean a certain way and am known as being quite opinionated, I will never affiliate myself with a specific political party. I like a person or group or entity until they do something I don’t agree with, and then I don’t like them anymore – simple as that (though this doesn’t seem to be very simple for many others!) I have several fantasy authors whose books I’ve tossed in the garbage even though I still like the stories because of their repugnant behavior as human beings. I don’t separate the art from the artist. People tend to seek belonging in ways that I just don’t relate to. Our society tells us to band together in pride about all sorts of ridiculous things … Pride in the location where the great cosmic lottery dropped you at the time of your birth, pride in what high school you went to which again is just the random luck of your location, pride that we have x amount of money or status without acknowledging any starting advantages that got us there or acknowledging how quickly our situation could change, pride that x # of people agree with us whether what we said was accurate or not … People offer blind loyalty and abandon their principles to fit where they think they should be. They refuse to change their mind no matter how far off the rails something goes, not wanting to grow and change lest they lose their “group”. I think I’ll stay under my tent of dreams, and remember to be content with that place. I’ll try also to always remember to leave it wide open for other tired journeyers to join me, not because we are the same but  because I choose to love them for exactly who they are right now. It’s not an easy choice and I’m not always good at it, but I think it’s the best one.

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Art Discussion, New Work

New Art – Diverse Creation

It’s been a tough year in the United States for the word “diversity”, with a mass confusion of what DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) is versus what affirmative action is resulting in unfortunate fallout, particularly for individuals with disabilities (See video below … who says autistic folks can’t be sarcastic/humorous when the need arises? You know what Oscar Wilde said, ‘If you want to tell the truth, make them laugh otherwise they’ll kill you.). Michigan Arts Access, a program I have worked with as a resident artist that provides arts education in special education classrooms, lost major funding sources for next year because their work falls under the “DEI” umbrella by including students with disabilities in elective opportunities that many other traditional students automatically receive. Unfortunately, this means their services probably won’t happen next year in less wealthy communities like mine. There was a general souring in public opinion towards the word DEI despite most people actually agreeing with the principles and practices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion when asked without using the acronym itself, according to research. If anything, this reveals how muddled understanding has gotten as we have access to more information than we’ve ever been expected to handle all at once, but that’s a conversation for another day. 

The thing is, while equity and inclusion are sadly optional, in America we’re stuck with diversity whether we like it or not. This may seem too obvious to need reminding, but America is unique because everyone who lives here at one point came from somewhere else, and who has been here longer may at times be surprising (i.e. my Mexican partner’s family settled in Texas long before my ancestors came here from Italy, England, Hungary.).

Diversity is built into all of creation. The differences in plants, animals, and insects both visually and in how they function serve a purpose. Similarly, our different backgrounds, cultures, genders, and brains all bring something distinct to the table, and our society runs better when all are included and their gifts nurtured. Imagine what would happen if you had a vegetable garden, but decided tomatoes were your favorite so you’re only going to water those and just let the rain take care of the rest. Rain helps, but it’s not enough, and eventually the other plants would die, and you’d get pretty tired of only eating tomatoes every day. (Apparently I’m really into garden metaphors when it comes to people – see last year’s mural.) 

We can’t marvel at the vast variety in a field of flowers or all the different patterns on the wings of butterflies, and at the same time be angry about differences in the people around us. We can’t become excited about the literal tour around the world we can take in almost any given city when picking a restaurant, but be upset that we have neighbors who came from the culture where those recipes originated. 

It may feel like diversity is ‘canceled’, but the very notion is ridiculous. I am in no way trying to downplay the significance of words and policies that communicate that certain people don’t deserve basic needs, education opportunities, or respect. However, individuals, and I daresay especially creatives, still have a choice. This new piece was recently created for an upcoming Fall show with the theme “Diversity Is Beauty And Strength”. I’ve also been working on a series of fantasy themed family portraits from a client who reached out to me from my ebay shop. She noted that she saw my series of cute angels/fairies and mermaids and noticed that I offered a bunch of different skin tone choices. She shared that her family is mixed race, and it’s difficult to find fantasy art that looks like them. Thus, one of the most fun commissions I’ve ever done was born. I enjoyed getting to know my subjects from afar through an exchange of personal stories, and channeling their joys, struggles, and dreams into these keepsakes. More still to come!

This year has been hitting creators hard, but art is communication and we creative people are in a unique position to pivot the cultural conversation. How do you think diversity enhances the way you experience your daily life and community?

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New Work

‘Generosity’ : Mixed Media Surrealism

In between 3 murals this summer, I recently completed my 5th part of my current Fruits Of The Spirit series, Generosity/Goodness. This is the only larger start to finish piece I’ve completed this year, so that was certainly a triumph! Along with working on my own concept based fine art, I’ve been enjoying creating art people can take home with them: comics, clothing and accessories, mini paintings, and more.

I’ve mentioned in the past that it is important to me that my art connects with people of varying backgrounds. Though my art often deals with themes that have emotional depth, I haven’t made, well, ANY spiritual or faith based art before for that reason. The Fruits Of The Spirit come from the Christian tradition, but are principles that we can all relate to.

Generosity, perhaps recently more than ever, is so countercultural to the way we function (I’m in the US right now, so I can’t speak to anywhere else.). At times there is even open scorn for generosity, as we make assumptions about why certain people may have ended up in a situation where they need help, and why they don’t deserve it. I was recently notified that Michigan Arts Access, a program I work with that provides opportunities in arts, theatre, and music education to students in special education (like the arts branch of Special Olympics), will likely not be able to continue its work next year due to funds to support inclusion opportunities for individuals with disabilities being diverted via a federal mandate to an “American Heroes Sculpture Garden” that will cost up to 40 million dollars. We are seeing in real time that a lack of generosity has nothing to do with a lack of funds. In an era where we hear and read daily phrases like “protect your peace”, and see the usually beneficial and healthy practice of boundary setting being weaponized as an excuse to be a self centered and unsupportive friend, generosity with our time and emotions is also at an all time low.

Inspired by art history and ancient pottery, I decided to convey generosity in the form of the figure’s hands being like spouts on a vessel, bountiful water pouring forth from inside. The reason I chose to depict the figure surrounded by more water, lush plants growing all around, has to do with the idea that there is enough. Our own resources may be finite, which is why we can’t do everything alone. However, when we come together as a community it is possible for everyone to get what they need without harming anyone else. Below I filmed some closeups of the finished piece, and talk a bit more about the project.

When I see struggle happening everywhere and want to do more to help but am not sure how, or feel depleted myself, I draw from my faith, my close friends and family, and the network I’ve built as a working artist that has provided me with so many opportunities to use my gifts for good. What are the sources of your renewal?

Later this Fall, I have the opportunity to volunteer in leading some mindfulness art activities to guests at a mental health festival in a nearby city. Be sure to check back as I update everyone on how it went!

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Art Discussion, New Work

Seeing Red – Finishing Abandoned Art (Or Why I Don’t Throw Anything Away)

Long ago, I’m talking nearly 10 years ago, I had an idea to explore color theory and color psychology through 5 color-themed pieces centered around the 3 primaries, and black and white. I completed the piece representing “White” first to get the most difficult one over with as exemplifying the absence of color in a piece of art is not always so easy, and white in general has to be my least favorite color – probably why I never succeeded in my original field of interior design as that seems to be all people want nowadays. But I digress …

I immediately after finishing White/’The End Is Also The Beginning’, started a piece for “Red”, much more a color to my liking. But then, the great covid catastrophe happened, life was weird, I got going on other projects, I had no clue how to finish the background, I got tired of coloring the pattern on the dress (Why oh why didn’t I just use fabric again like the first piece!), and there it sat abandoned inside an XL drawing pad for 6 years. I thought about just throwing it away as I wasn’t sure I was ever going to finish this series anyway. I know you have to be careful with this, but I am a huge advocate of not throwing old or unfinished art away because with a new perspective years later, you can make magic out of it. Behold, Red, or ‘Attachment’.

Red is without a doubt the strongest color emotionally, and the color that commands the greatest response both positive and negative. It’s no accident that stoplights and stop signs are red. Although, I remember reading the sort of bio in the front of an art book by one of my favorite artists, Ray Caesar. He mused on how he had always struggled with driving because to him red was an action color that meant “GO” rather than stop. That pretty much sums up the nature of red, commanding but conflicting.

It creates a response, but what kind of response widely varies by person and situation. Advertising uses red to create a sense of urgency, draw attention to a product or special sale, and make viewers think they HAVE to do something. Red is super stimulating especially when a bright primary but even when it’s a darker version as well, and can be overwhelming or off-putting to some. It symbolizes passion and romance, the color of the heart and of our blood. Fire is associated with red and red can also symbolize anger or rage (hence the saying “seeing red”), aggression and dominance. Red means luxury – think of the old Hollywood glamour classic red dress, red carpets, red lipstick, and the Christian Louboutin red soles.

Asian cultures have a particular relationship with red. In India, red is their traditional wedding dress color rather than white. In Japan, red is associated with cultural values of strength and sacrifice, but also expressions of joy, signified by a prominent red circle sun graphic on their flag. In China, red is an important symbolic color for good luck and prosperity. Across the continent, red is seen again as a warning color but this time to stave off ‘evil spirits’ or unpleasant circumstances.

Red tells stories of both joy and fortune, and tragedy and violence. It creates strong reactions and emotions, but which ones may come forward can be confusing and conflicting. Red, of all the colors, seems to be the color of our living story and our relationship to others.

Who knows, maybe I will revisit this series and keep going with it when I have the time. After all, I still have my concept sketches for blue, yellow, and black – As I mentioned, when it comes to drawings I don’t throw anything away! 😉

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Art Discussion, New Work

Exhibiting My First Sculpture: God As The Artist

My spirituality and faith resonate with me the most when I think of God as an artist. I don’t feel closest to God in the practices of church, though I do pop in occasionally for the community aspect. I’ve never been much of one for traditions, or groups, or organized religion in general even growing up raised as a Christian in childhood/teenhood. I hated the forced socializing of youth group after already draining my battery at school all day. As someone with about a two-note singing range, and who is also picky about the style of music I like, I never understood why singing was the only way I was able to celebrate faith. Can’t I stand in the back and draw or paint??? No, it is when I am outside alone in nature, taking in all the details of the sky, the tiny veins on a leaf, the beauty and intricacy of moss and mold, the teensy tiny legs of scuttling insects, the many colors (in Michigan, mostly many shades of black, yellow and brown but still!) of a bird feather, that I feel my faith bloom.

No matter what your beliefs are, we can all agree that we are blessed to be surrounded by so much vibrant beauty in our natural world. The plants and living creatures we share our lives with are so detailed and unique in color, pattern, and personality – the most amazing works of art! Our surroundings could have been all gray, streamlined, and plain and still function – but instead, we have been given the greatest gift. We are lucky to be surrounded by such diversity. Meditating on this thought helps me remember gratitude, and feel a connection to the world around me and my place in it.

I am primarily a 2D artist, but was opened up to the possibilities of clay hand building when I took a beginner class with Artshop, the inclusive program I am the lead instructor for. I later ended up as a long term sub now and again for this very same class. Though I never made anything notable out of traditional kiln fired clay, I discovered I could do the mini, picky little detailed things I wanted to with polymer clay, and even better for me I wouldn’t need the use of a kiln. Part clay, part assemblage, I sculpted all of the animals, and combined them with wooden drawing model hands, a sacrificed paint brush of mine that was past its prime, and a miniature picture frame left over from the tiny reliefs I first started creating when getting into polymer clay (The first on the left is still available in my shop, so take a look!).

3D art was always such a struggle for me in class throughout grade school and college, so I never dreamed my first real attempt as an official artist would be accepted into a juried show! My mind is turning over all the possibilities for the future, and I am excited to continue lifelong learning in arts.

Last year’s entry for the Animals In Art juried show was the largest painting I’ve ever completed … This annual January show seems to be one for firsts!

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Project Ideas

Happy New Year! Pantone 2025 Color Of The Year Project

This was the first Color Of The Year in awhile where I just kind of said “MEH”. Mocha is a fine color, and actually varying pastel versions of it are all over the walls in the main area of my home as it makes a great backdrop for hung art. Stand alone, it doesn’t really say much. I was determined to still do a Color Of The Year project, as is my tradition, and it turned out a healthy dose of brown was exactly what this obnoxious thrifted handbag that had been sitting in my closet since June needed!

If I’m doing monochromatic art, I typically go for grayscale, but I do have the odd couple of brown pieces from over the years.

I went through a phase in my early 20s where I just loved making art out of corrugated cardboard. I wrote in my journal once that when I had my own house, I would have one room where it looked like everything was made out of cardboard, and everything would be brown, and I would sit and drink tea and eat those little chocolate creme wafer cookies that look like cardboard as well. I had just watched Michel Gondry’s The Science Of Sleep and became obsessed withe the whimsical, handmade aesthetic and I’m sure this was part of my sudden love of cardboard. Maybe sometimes brown isn’t so bad … It is the color of coffee, tea, and chocolate, after all.

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Project Ideas, Techniques and Tutorials

Crafty Christmas Tutorials

I do wait until Halloween is done at least, but once November hits I feel myself sliding into holly jolly mode and the older I get, the more I enjoy seasonal crafts :P. This year I played around with some fun clay ornaments and even taught a couple of workshops already! I also wanted to take the opportunity to share some other fun holiday demos I’ve done over the years. All of these projects I’ve used to decorate my own house, and have also been successful selling at art fairs and online.

I was always enamored by these jewelry trees when I’d see them at antique stores, and once you get the hang of how to lay them out they are relatively simple to create at home. It’s even more fun when you get to choose meaningful collected bits and pieces, or create your own “theme” or color scheme. I have made these in so many different styles – each one really is one of a kind!

Inspired after trying the trees, I decided to go to work on my old, mangled dollar store chip brushes. I have done an entire tree with these and it is so striking! Some people who have bought these from me have even hung them on their wall as a point of interest amongst a collage of framed photos.

How fun would it be to do a “family tree” with old photos using this style of ornament? Van Gogh is still my only version of these, but I really need to set aside the time to make more as I still have a bunch of sparkly pipe cleaners!

Resilient and cute is always a winning combination. These plush ornaments are kid, cat, and oopsie proof!

It’s almost December! I know this time of year can get so busy and stressful, but trust me taking even 5 minutes a day doing something creative will make all the difference in your mental health. I hope these demos inspire you, and feel free to reach out if you hit any snafus or have questions!

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Exhibitions and Other News

New Art / Disability & Mental Health & Exciting News

One of the reasons my new series is so slow to completion is because I’ve been creating a lot of art specifically for themed exhibits. I typically only do this if the premise speaks to me, and lately a lot of the local exhibit opportunities have really resonated. This piece was created for the Midland Area Cultural Awareness Coalition’s Pop Up Exhibit with the prompt “Our differences make us better together”. I was thinking a lot about how culture doesn’t always mean our country of origin, and how some differences can be internal more than external. In “Symphony”, I aimed to show neurodiversity including both disability and mental health. I used colored pencil for the figures, fabric for their clothing, ink for the birds, and watercolor for the background. I’m typically not a bright color person with my art, but this piece called for it. After I blended every watercolor in my palette into the background, it was … well, very bright and competing a bit too much with the figures even in their high contrast black and white. Solution: a wash of pearl white acrylic overtop. I love that this kerfuffle happened in the first place because having an iridescent foil effect in the background ended up so much cooler than if it would have been left just straight pastel watercolor.

I use birds with figures for symbolism a lot, because I love the movement birds add to an image and birds have long been a visual metaphor for the soul. The different artistic depiction of the birds flowing from each figure are representations of different ways of thinking and processing. I see this all the time with my art classes I teach. In the beginner classes, we will usually create the same basic image together step-by-step, but the exciting variety I see across everyone’s artwork still is truly amazing.

The birds eventually all converge into one stream, mingling together and blending into streaks of color. I didn’t have a title for this piece until the very end, when the word “Symphony” came to mind. Our thoughts, words, ideas, personality, presence, all play a part in our community and society as a whole, and each part is important. Much like a symphony in which each instrument layers together to create the finished song, or a work of art like this one where each splash of paint or piece of fabric layers together to create a recognizable image, all of our different experiences and ways of looking at and processing the world are necessary for innovation and progress.

This piece was one of the most fun mixed media artworks to create that I’ve worked on in awhile, and I was additionally honored with the Best Of Show Award. Prints will be available soon in my online shop, so keep an eye out, or you can always contact me directly.

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Exhibitions and Other News

Summer 2024 Wrap Up & Artsy Photo Dump

This summer came and went so quickly, I wanted to do a recap. This started out as something just for myself and my personal journaling to stop and reflect, but then I thought it may be interesting to those that follow me to hear what I’ve been up to. I love sharing fascinating things related to creativity, but sometimes forget to talk about what I’ve been up to. 

This was truly an art-filled summer. I completed my first largescale mural after years of mini public arts projects. I learned a lot, and gained important experience to carry forward into future projects. I was able to integrate community participation into my design with the overarching concept being a message of inclusion, which is very important to me. The process of allowing anyone and everyone to make their mark in helping with the base coats of color made the inclusion more than just conceptual, but a reality of the artistic process.

I distributed my art and handmade wares into 4 gallery shops covering Midland (Creative 360), Saginaw (Gingerblue), and Bay City (Catworks, Studio 23). I work between these 3 cities as well as an arts educator, and they are all within 30 minutes of each other which makes replenishing sold items something I can do with ease and not a lot of arduous travel or pre-planning. Sometimes I get overly focused on “elsewhere” and while expansion is important, working close by may be what is best for my busy schedule and self care right now. 

I stretched myself and did my first live painting at a wedding. Making a photo-realistic portrait to memorialize someone’s once in a lifetime (or that’s the goal anyway!) day is a lot of pressure. I also had a very limited time, and I’m not usually a wedding person even with people I know well since these sorts of events are typically a social anxiety doozy for me. The experience ended up being a much needed bright spot in what happened to have been a very tough week. It was beautiful, vibrant, inspiring, and uplifting in all the best ways, and was another opportunity that added to my repertoire of services I can offer.

I officially expanded my online shop to not just art, but art and fun fashion and cute collectible things I like in an effort to declutter and simplify life (starting with my wardrobe!) and have a greater customer reach. As we get closer to the holidays, might I suggest you check out the shop for unique wares ;).  

I took a break from some things I consistently do in order to make room for new experiences. I chose not to participate in any art fairs until mid-September, put off any little home repair projects until Fall, didn’t book myself solid with classes or alternatively plan a bunch of trips. I gardened, journaled, did lots of reading, spent time just being outside, increased physical-activity-related hobbies, and cooked at home a lot. It may sound like a boring summer, but it was so regenerative and allowed me to get ready for a busier Fall.

Since it’s not technically Fall yet, I ended my Summer with a wonderful surprise … I was awarded 2nd Place at Studio 23’s Michigan All-State Juried Exhibition for my piece “Breathe” – and it sold the evening of the show! I get very attached to my art so it’s always satisfying yet bittersweet when one sells, but honestly I could not be more excited.

16×20″ Prismacolor Pencil and Mixed Media

What are some memorable moments from your Summer of 2024?

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Artist Bio

The ABCs of Creation – E Is For Equalize

An artist friend recently shared with me an article they wrote titled “The ABCs of Underground Art”. I really enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to write my own ABC’s of the type of art that I do as a fun journaling prompt to use to unwind and organize your thoughts. Those that have followed me for awhile know that I don’t typically stick to just one type of art, so to open up the limits I decided to make my “alphabet” the ABC’s of Creation. I have assigned a word to each letter, along with a video of my illustrating a cool little ACEO sized letter inspired visual to go with each word. Read, listen, or both – whatever works! 

E is for Equalize. Creating is a great equalizer in my opinion, because there are so many different ways to go at it even with certain limitations. I work with students with disabilities, some of whom have a lot of trouble with fine motor skills or dexterity. Large, overarching strokes, wobbly lines, lopsided sculpting … Some people try to achieve these peculiarities on purpose!  There is a way to make qualities you may view as imperfections part of your signature look. How cool is it that when creating, we can take something that is typically viewed as a difficulty and transform it into something that enhances our end result.

Above are just a snapshot of the beautiful works of art my students have created over the years. I strongly believe that beginning my career as an instructor with the Express Yourself Artshop inclusive program in my hometown (as someone who wasn’t even planning to become an art instructor at that point!) made me a better teacher.

(Psst! We do have a Redbubble Shop as well, if you want to show some love.)

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