Taken with picplz.

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I come from a theatrical design background and tend to think in terms of color and light. As a theater person, I have always loved to collaborate!  Whenever I am creating glass, I become completely present and think only of the intended creation. In this case, I had the opportunity to work with Clara Berta. I love Clara’s color sense and her use of texture and the way she build up layers of color and texture. When I am painting with glass, I also build up layers and texture. I was so delighted when Clara showed me a painting she had yet to complete and immediately knew that I wanted to do a glass overlay to her painting. Working with Clara this way was like we were finishing each other sentences; the finished painting was the culmination of our mutual intent.  I hope you enjoy what we have created together.

Thank you Clara for the opportunity to create with you!  

Open Mind - By Steven Lenchner and Clara Berta

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by Catherine DeMonte, LMFT is a Marriage Family Child therapist

Play and art therapy are forms of psychotherapy that help children source their feelings in a nonthreatening (and possibly non-VERBAL) way.  I do a lot more sandtray therapy than any other form of play therapy and I imagine that a lot of why that is so is due to the fact that as soon as children enter my office they see two walls full of miniatures and two sand trays at the perfect height for playing in.  Children are told they can take anything off the shelf, that nothing is off limits.  It is so incredible to see them look the collection over quickly, then remove items from the shelf and create “scenes” or “stories” in the sand. In terms of choosing objects, they seem to know exactly what they are looking for.  The sand boxes are painted blue on the inside and bottom so that when the sand is pushed away it can look like “water”.  Although I don’t interrupt what they do, what they pick, where they put it in the tray, and what they do with them (bury figures, have them “fight”,  gather a mama animal with her babies, etc.) it is all healing and cathartic for the child.  And interestingly, it doesn’t matter what a child is referred to therapy for, this tool can be healing in their process. So regardless of why a child is being seen: whether grief work, phobias, regression, abandonment issues, or whatever, sandtray therapy is an effective tool.  And whether or not the child ever addressees the issue verbally or not doesn’t seem to matter as far as their healing goes.  I once had a boy who began to have a school phobia and refused to go anymore.  He never brought it up with me, only silently played with me placing army men in the trays week after week, enacting battle after battle.  Although possibly politically incorrect, army men will engender feelings of protection and value.  Apparently it worked because not long after he began his sessions in play therapy, he was able to return to school.   Whatever was “warring” inside of himself, he had resolved it on his own.  Another older boy began to wet his bed, well after being toilet-trained.  There was no medical reason for it and so he came to see me.  The topic never came up but his issue too was resolved in a relatively short time.  Unlike adult therapy where insight and awareness is key if change is to take place, child therapy relies more on internalized healing.  A child in therapy doesn’t sit on the couch for months talking with the therapist.  Nor is the therapy hour an hour of talking AT the child.   Rather it is an hour of interacting with the child in a way that helps him or her understand themselves  better and feel more at peace in the world. 

The combination of the toys in the room along with an alliance with a therapist, an adult well versed in helping a child attain their best self in an environment of non-judgment is a powerful, supportive and loving way in which a child can explore whatever it is they are dealing with.  It is very rare for a child not to want to come, as it just feels good to get the non-intrusive yet completely attentive presence of a an adult who really listens.  It is almost magical how powerful it is, yet this also says so much about a child’s deep knowing of him/herself – in that by choosing the figures they do, the archetypes if you will, and playing with them they resolve the inner struggles or hurts that they carry.  If we adults can jump back and get out of their way and honor a child’s play (which is their work) it is miraculous to see the depth of their wisdom and what amazing good comes from it.

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Nature by Dori in our mixed media painting class.  The concept of mixed media has been utilized for hundreds of years. There are two aspects to mixed media. One has to do with advertising and the multiple ways of presenting information. This can be using methods such as radio, television or billboards together. The other has to do with art. This second mixed media, or assemblage, concerns works of art that are put together using different media for a composition such as collage, photography or painting made from whatever the artist chooses to use.

A mixed media collage implies two separate art techniques. First there is the art of collage, which is defined by the free online dictionary as an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. Mixed media adds to the overall concept of working with one or more types of painting in addition to the process of attaching collage elements. Elements can include photographs, colored paper, ticket stubs, magazine articles and advertisements. Even with all this visual information, a mixed media collage can still effectively convey a strong image and message.

A real fun, and obvious, form of mixed media art is assemblage. Assemblage is a form of art that is three dimensional and composed of putting together objects that are found. Assemblage really takes mixed media art to a new level. Instead of using the traditional mixed media objects, it branches out to include anything that an artist uses to create their piece of art. It can range from common, everyday items to unusual things that you wonder where the artist even managed to find them. This form of mixed media art is fun for anyone to try, from young to old, you yourself or with a group.

In a world today where "going green" and recycling is highly promoted, and even encouraged and taught in the schools, using items in art that no longer can be used in a traditional manner has become very popular. It is another form of recycling. Some artists have become very popular and talented in this field of art. Regardless of your preference of artistic styles, it is not unusual for there to be a mix of different media. Check out the mixed media art the next time you are in an art gallery, some will be obvious, but look closely at the different canvases, some will unexpectedly be mixed media art.

Even though the term multimedia art is applied to mixed media it is not the same. Multimedia art incorporates the use of differing areas like music, dance or interactions with the person viewing the display. Mixed media provides the artist with diversity both with the use of material and with what is represented by the work. The visitor to the gallery or museum can interact with an installation or simply view. Mixed media art using fiber combines fiber along with paint, dye, thread and ink among the media. The United Nations has declared 2009 the year of natural fiber, encouraging the use of fiber in art.

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Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly having the very idea of learning how to paint? If you love the artistry of painting and wish you could learn to paint well, then you’re well on your way. The first step of any venture begins with having the passion to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really like to learn about painting, there are individuals who are willing to help you to achieve your dream. Can be as easy to do is a bit of research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or perhaps college art class near your home. Painting classes in Los Angeles has to be inexpensive.  Begin shopping around for the finest establishment which fits your budget.  In the meantime, here are a few types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is an excellent way for beginner artists to start in the realm of painting. You don’t need too much equipment and also watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see outcomes quickly. While painting with watercolors is pretty easy, there are several guidelines to keep in mind which will help your artwork stand out. Make a few test paintings just before to work on something much more substantial. Watercolor paint is extremely finicky and it takes a while to find out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your very first official painting.

Oil pastels are actually art tools that look like crayons, but they’re oil-based instead of wax-based. They permit you to blend colors more freely, but they also do not dry or fix entirely to paper; so they can be more hard to protect. Nevertheless, you can make use of pastels to make very colorful artwork. All you need to do is understand the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course in your art school or local community university. These types of courses can provide you with the most complete instruction on oil pastel method. The courses must teach you mixing and scraping techniques at least. Once you learn exactly how to work with oil pastels, you can practice every technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a struggle for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint what exactly he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you turn into a skilled portrait artist.

Now that you’ve been informed in three types of painting classes Los Angeles, it’s up to you to decide which type of painting classes you believe will interest you.  Don’t forget, you are not limited to three Los Angeles painting classes stated above; you can actually select various other painting classes.

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Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly harboring the idea of learning how to paint? If you enjoy the artistry of painting and wish that you could learn how to paint well, then you are well on your way. The first step of any venture starts with having the desire to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really want to learn about painting, there are people who are ready and willing to help you fulfill your dream. All you have to do is a little research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or college art class in your local area. Paint classes Los Angeles should be inexpensive.  Start shopping around for the best establishment that fits your budget.  In the meantime, listed below are different types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is a great way for amateur artists to get started in the world of painting. You don't need an excessive amount of equipment and watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting can also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see results quickly. While painting with watercolors is relatively easy, there are some guidelines to keep in mind that will help your artwork come to life. Make a few test paintings before getting to work on something more substantial. Watercolor paint is very finicky and it takes a while to figure out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your first official painting.

Oil pastels are art tools that look like crayons, but they are oil-based instead of wax-based. They allow you to blend colors more freely, but they also don't dry or fix completely to paper; so they can be more difficult to protect. Even so, you can use pastels to make very colorful art. All you need to do is learn the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course through your art school or local community college. These courses can give you the most complete instruction on oil pastel technique. The courses should teach you blending and scraping techniques at least. Once you know how to work with oil pastels, you can practice each technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a difficult task for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint exactly what he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn to how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you become a skilled portrait artist.

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Hannelore Baron was an artist whose work has become known for the highly personal, book-sized, abstract collages and box constructions that she began exhibiting in the late 1960s. Born in Saarbrücken, Germany, on June 8, 1926, she and her family fled persecution in Nazi Germany in 1938 and relocated to the Riverdale, Bronx area of New York City. Without a formal art education, her interest grew and was nourished through a variety of art classes at adult education and community centers.

At age 40, in the mid 1960s, Baron combined her knowledge of a variety of art making techniques (watercolor, drawing and printmaking) and began making her first collages. Baron embarked on an uncharted voyage into collage as a method of containing her search for human connection. Her mysterious and intriguing works of ink, paper and fabric are eloquent testimonials to the common heritage of humanity. Plunging deep into an expression of the common roots by means of personal suffering, she developed a cohesive language through the weaving of texture, shape and symbol. Her transcendent communication expresses the reassurance of the continuum of nature’s cycles reflected by the injection of new life to old fabrics.

Hannelore Baron works reveal the path by which an artist’s self-discovery transcends into universal expression. Working in the form of two-dimensional collage and box assemblage, Baron explored the archeology of the soul. In the early 1970s, Baron established a studio and devoted her time and energy completely to her artwork. Although her compositions are completely abstract, she considered them to be both personal and political statements. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s her work garnered critical acclaim, along with gallery and museum exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Her work is marked by the gravity, discretion and understated wit of a survivor. She had a special feeling for paper, for the weight of communication it can bear and the weight of history that settles so easily on its edges and surfaces. She described herself a pacifist and wanted her quietly intense work to convince others of the need to listen. She used letters as symbols of memory and birds as symbols of vulnerability and the need for song. She had numerous solo shows in New York and was a participant in ''Jewish Themes - Contemporary Artists II'' at the Jewish Museum. Although the diminutive collages and doll-size assemblages by Hannelore Baron clearly belong to the 20th Century, it's impossible to link them to a specific decade. Hannelore Baron died of cancer at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center on April 28, 1987. She was 61 years old.

In 1995, her work was the subject of a one-person exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 2001 her work was the subject of a traveling exhibition curated by Ingrid Schaffner and organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Her works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, and Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Real strangers to time's steady progression, these haunting works are timeless in a profoundly untraditional sense. 

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There's an essential difference between "mixed media" artworks and "multimedia art". Mixed media does refer to a piece of visual art that mixes various traditionally unique visual art media. For instance, a work on canvas that mixes fresh paint, ink, and also collage could well be called a "mixed media" work and not a work of "multimedia art." The term multimedia art implies a broader scope than mixed media, mixing visual art with non-visual components like recorded sound, for instance or with aspects of the other arts like literature, drama, dance, motion graphics, music, or interactivity.

When creating a photographed or painted work by using mixed media, it is very important pick the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers so that the final work is going to have integrity. If numerous media are employed, it's incredibly important to select a strong base where the different layers are imposed. A phrase sometimes used in relationship to mixed media is, "Fat over lean." Put simply: "never start with oil paints. Plan to make them the final layer."

Use home items or excess craft items from previous projects to create mixed media jewelry. Mix glass, stones, gems, metals as well as beads for a custom-made bracelet or necklace. Vary the hues and sizes to add more dimension as well as texture to the piece. Try out various combinations. As soon as you have chosen your elements, string them with each other in a random way. Utilizing such things as doilies and pieces of drapes or table linens, add edge and embelleshment for more flair. A mixed media sculpture can be as detailed or simple as you want. This makes it suitable for children. Have kids form animal shapes from crumpled newspaper and cover the shapes with paste. Or help children form chicken wire into animal forms then cover up the wire with newspapers and paper-mache glue. Paint the art forms and add beads or marbles for details such as eyes and noses. Utilize cotton balls or an old coat's lining for fur. You can also use coloured toothpaste, which will solidify and bring texture to the piece.

There's absolutely no restriction to the amount, groups, or type of things that can be created to a collage. Utilize the right adhesive to secure the things into place. Individuals who are just learning how to accomplish mixed media believe that it is the easiest to group together identical objects. Watch for an artistic flow through the piece that carries your eye from one area to another. There is no correct answer to creating a mixed media collage or mixed media project.

A lot of effects may be accomplished by making use of mixed media. Found objects may be used in conjunction with conventional artist media, like paints and graphite, to convey a meaning in the daily life. In this manner, many different aspects of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. Mixed media art is an artistic trend that mixes elements of numerous disciplines, such as sculpture, portrait-drawing and digital art, in a single piece of artwork. The environmental or "green" movement has been growing in popularity for several years and is likely to continue rising later on, therefore a mixed media art project centered on environmentalism would be ideal for earth-conscious artists.

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David Smith-Harrison was born in Salt Lake City, Utah where he has spent the greater part of his life. In 1977 he was awarded a Utah State Sterling Scholarship, before going on to be educated at the South Glamorgan Institute, Cardiff, Wales in 1983 and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City in 1984.

His highly original printmaking, which blends traces of Renaissance style architecture with vividly rendered natural objects, relies on his fascination for drawing. “Drawing is of central importance to me,” he says, “it is a tool for developing my powers of observation and memory.”

The delicate process of printmaking carries a greater element of surprise. Smith-Harrison enjoys this slightly unpredictable delivery of his ideas. He says “I am attracted to the infinite possibilities of impressing ink onto paper and I find the unique textural characteristics of prints to be stimulating, seductive, and full of subtlety and nuance.” It is a time-consuming technique inherited from the great engravers of the Renaissance, a period which particularly fascinates Smith-Harrison. He stresses that his interest in past artistic tradition is as important to him as his interaction with current life.

Smith-Harrison’s high artistic standing has ensured wide exhibition of his work. He has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions across California. His work was also exhibited at the Evergreen Graphic Art Association, Taipei Cultural Centre, Taiwan in 1993.

In addition, Smith-Harrison has participated in many juried exhibitions. Among these are the Ashland University Printmaking Invitational Exhibition, Ohio, at which he displayed work in 1999; National Printmaking, College of New Jersey, Trenton in 1997, Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennal 95, Japan; 65th National Print Exhibition, Society of American Graphic Artists, Federal Plaza, New York in 1993 and US-UK Print Connection, Barbican Centre in London in 1989.

William Stolpin was born and raised in Flint. He went to Garfield elementary, Emerson Junior High and old Northern High School, where he is currently a Distinguished Alumni with his picture on the wall at the new High School. He graduated from Northern in 1960, and went directly to GMI. He graduated with my BME in 1965. While he was in Junior High, he was making linoleum block Christmas cards. One card in particular had 7 blocks and about 15 colors. He realized, at that time, that he had a knack for printmaking, and have been making images ever since.

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It was believed that art and healing are joined together to become one. For many, healing art is a spiritual path, a transformational process, a way of being, and the power of the creative process of art as a healing force. Making art frees the body's healing mechanisms to heal. It unites body, mind, and spirit. In art and healing, no interpretation or therapy is necessary. The creative process is the healer. The field of art therapy and the field of expressive arts also use art in healing. It is believed that art and healing will heal you, others, the community and the earth. It is something you do. Art is an act to heal the spirit.

Scientific studies tell that art heals by changing a person's physiology and attitude. The body's physiology changes from one of stress to one of deep relaxation, from one of fear to one of creativity and inspiration. Art put a person in a different brain wave pattern; art affect a person's autonomic nervous system, their hormonal balance and their brain neurotransmitters. Art affect every cell in the body instantly to create a healing physiology that changes the immune system and blood flow to all the organs. Art also change a person's perceptions of their world. They change attitude, emotional state, and pain perception. They create hope and positivity and they help people cope with difficulties. They transform a person's outlook and way of being in the world.

Today it is recognized by neurophysiologists that art, prayer, and healing all come from the same source in the body. They are all associated with similar brain wave patterns. Mind and body changes and they are deeply connected in feeling and meaning. Art, prayer, and healing all take into the inner world, the world of imagery and emotion, of visions and feelings. This journey inward into what was used to be called the spirit or soul and is now called the mind is deeply healing. For healing comes from within, one’s own healing resources are freed to allow the immune system to operate optimally and that is always how it heals. This is the contemporary version of freeing the healing energies and is now recognized to be crucial to healing.

An abstract or landscape can, in effect, transport a person to a different location other than, say, a doctor's office. And some believe that color has a direct effect on certain "energy lines" of the body to heal specific ailments. But when it comes to art, is it really healing in nature or does simply just provide a calming and soothing environment for the mind. Art really heal your illnesses. Whether it's the teachings of ancient healing practices or the soothing effects of color and techniques, art can provide a healing of the mind. With all the unwanted side effects of medications, one must turn to art as a healing power.

The artwork distracts the patients, forcing them to think about something else other than the pain they may be experiencing in therapy. And with all the illnesses going around throughout the world today, people have to surround themselves with beauty. Art provides an interesting topic for conversation and gets patients' minds off their injuries for a few minutes. It's a good way to connect with patients. Art in itself provides healing; it is believed that the atmosphere and bright colors that art adds to one’s space stimulates the patients' overall sense of well-being and hopefulness.

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"Three Home Runs For Rutberg" by Rene de Loffre    I    May 9, 2011 Some Assembly Required: Assemblage & Collage Through May 31
I was not planning to review another Jack Rutberg show so soon, but he continues to organize exhibitions well worth writing about. The first word that came to mind when I recently entered his Gallery was “smorgasbord,” since the works of nearly forty artists are displayed. In fact, the experience was somewhat akin to going through a museum, at least, a de facto one. All of the artists are recognized names, some iconic (Marca-Relli, Man Ray, Motherwell, Nevelson), while some are from the Gallery’s stable (Graham, Witkins). The show’s connecting sinew is that almost all of the works are collages. However, that does not mean that this many artists see collage the same way, quite the contrary, and that’s what’s so much fun about this show.  Fortunately, as a result of Rutberg’s ability to hang a show (an art in itself), such a diversity of collages co-exists exuberantly without visual casualties. Near the front entrance Rutberg hangs a stunning 1982 Conrad Marca-Relli collage of burlap, various other fabrics, and newspaper cuttings titled “The Sunday Caller.” In spite of its fading (which actually helps since most of the colors are shades of brown), it’s as powerful today as it must have been when first created. The impact of the composition becomes clear when you step away from the collage and realize that it could easily have been a painting. Also near the entrance hangs a splendidly made 1970 collage that could easily be taken as an actual hard-edge painting on raw linen fabric (I admit, I was fooled) by Stanley Boxer, made up of asymmetrical stripes climbing a narrow, tall, vertical canvas. When I first bumped into Edward Kienholz’s “Back Seat Dodge ‘38” at LACMA in the early ‘60’s, I understood that abstract expressionism had died. Such an experience guaranteed curiosity about the Kienholz works in the show. The first, a 1977 small television (created with Nancy Reddin Kienholz) as a jerry can with a set of bunny ear antennas and a counter behind the screen ticking out seconds, did not surprise me. But the second piece did: a 1956 not overly refined construction piece assembled from scrap wood, a twisted saw blade, and some popsicle sticks sitting on a typical abstract expressionistically treated background. I had never seen the pre- Dodge -’38 side of this artist, I didn’t even know it existed; imagine, a Kienholz when he wasn’t, well, Kienholz. But this Kienholz surprise was nothing compared to a large 1993 piece constructed of separate tiles forming a single image in the center area by Jose Luis Cuevas and entitled “La Carta.”  As a long-time fan of Cuevas, I’ve never encountered anything but drawings or prints, and neither has Rutberg or anyone else I know. It’s a beautiful piece that displays his unique style, just as impressive as his works on paper. Halfway through the gallery one encounters more gems such as Mark Toby’s 1974-5 mixed media palette. What artist has not at some time glanced at their painting palette and thought it looked better than the painting on the easel. There’s also a small collage by Hannelore Baron, one of the most accomplished artists in this media; her works are consistently strong, sensitive, and brilliantly composed. In spite of Baron’s amazing work, Hans Burkhard’s small 1992 untitled collage stole the show. The piece consisted of two small, side-by-side, tilted off the vertical, detailed packed rectangles floating in a minimal environment that displays immense visual power in such a diminutive work. Towards the end of the Gallery hangs Huguette Caland’s 1997 untitled painting that consists of two long, thin, separate canvases placed side by side. That it unintentionally brings to mind the 9/11 twin towers well before the event is a bit unsettling. Viewed up close, Caland’s brilliant treatment of surfaces becomes apparent. Finally, it would be impossible to miss spotting a good size 2007 collage (pencil, acrylic, oil, gold leaf, vellum) by Tom Wudl, the person who single-handedly showed me what it meant to be an artist. Entitled “Henry Flower AKA Leopold Bloom in Nighttown,” the collage juxtaposes Andrea Mantegna’s Saint Sebastian, at least from the neck down, to include every single arrow in the corpus, along with elements from the artist’s own imaginative iconographical lexicon. Wudl is all about the phantasmagorical creations of puns, parodies, allusions, and stream-of- consciousness. In this particular image, the clubs, eyes, breasts, lips, and chapeau make sense only because of the title. Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of James Joyce’s Ulysses who uses the pseudonym of Henry Flower, is accompanying Stephen Daedalus to a Dublin brothel. Like his Laurel and Hardy series, Wudl’s exacting representations and abundance of surrealistic detail make it difficult to know where the line between tongue-in-cheek and gravitas lies. Having had the good fortune to work with the artist for a two-year span, I can safely say that Wudl is a study in polarities: transparently obvious at one level yet opaquely mysterious on another, and I highly suspect that’s exactly where he wants the viewers who enter his Universe. Try not to miss seeing Jack Rutberg’s exhibit before its closure after May 31. click here for article online	Conrad Marca-Relli The Sunday Caller, 1982 28 X 34 Inches
	Edward Kienholz & Nancy Reddin Kienholz The Billionaire Deluxe, 1977 11 X 15 1/8 X 14 Inches
	Jose Luis Cuevas La Carta, 1993 28 X 44 1/8 Inches
	Mark Tobey   Untitled, 1974-1975 12 1/2 X 16 Inches
	Hans Burkhardt Untitled, 1992 12 X 17 3/8 Inches
	Tom Wudl Henry Flower AKA Leopold Bloom In Nighttown, 2007 75 1/4 X 50 3/4 Inches
JACK RUTBERG FINE ARTS 357 N La Brea Ave                   Los Angeles, CA 90036 Tel. 323-938-5222             www.jackrutbergfinearts.com

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Collage artist utilizes the strategy painting and mixes two or more mediums and other found items together in a work of art. Collage artist describes his/her work as a strategy concerned with the use of 2 or more artistic media. For instance, a work on canvas which fuses paint, ink, and collage could appropriately be labeled or you can utilize a few kind of art supply, like paint and ink, paint and pastels, pastels and ink, and the like. Throughout the entire art background of mixed media artists, you will find numerous expert and well-known painters who have considered the mixed media art and astonished the industry of the arts. Listed here are a few of the impressive mixed media artists.

Cathy Horner mixes classic papers, photographs, discovered objects, as well as handmade papers with layers of paint and varnish to make her original collages on canvas, full of whimsy and a smart sense of humor. Horner's subject matter consists of a cool assortment of domestic scenes, individuals, robots, fairies, and anthropomorphic figures - all imaginatively carried out with the sort of humor that simply leaves the viewer with a grin. She brilliantly blends images, textures, and color, and her devotion to details can be seen in her own distinctive kind of presentation, as even the backs of her canvases were properly covered with vintage text and images.

Liu Shih-tung is a Taiwanese mixed media artist, born in 1970 in central Taiwan’s Miaoli County. He has been a practicing artist ever since 1985 the moment he went into the recently established senior high school art major classes and has been doing work mainly with collage since the early 2000s. From July to August this year, Liu undertook a residency at 18th Street Art Center in Los Angeles, California. Liu Shih-tung continues to be quitting installation and performance art since the early 2000s, and is right now moved by folk tradition, specifically collage making. He makes use of images cut from printed objects, a primary source of which are fashion periodicals, and recombines selected images along with paint on flat canvas.

Ray Yoshida, whose mysteriously humorous, semi-abstract paintings and collages and 40 years of teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago influenced generations of prominent artists. Mr. Yoshida’s 1st mature work was a series of collages consisting of tiny images and pieces of pictures clipped from comics organized in neat, gridded order on pieces of paper. They look as if they were produced by a methodical but possibly deranged researcher for some unknown scholarly or scientific purpose. During the 70's Mr. Yoshida turned to painting, but he returned to the comic image collages during the early 1990s.

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 Lindsay:  monotype created in our printmaking class.  Printmaking is a process for producing a work of art in ink; the work called a print is created indirectly, through the transfer of ink from the surface upon which the work was originally drawn or composed. Performing this printmaking can be done in the following techniques. The most popular are the woodcut, etching, lithography, and screen-printing. Other printmaking techniques include chine-collé, collography, monotyping, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, linocut, aquatint and batik. These techniques can also be combined.

Woodcut is a type of relief print thought to be the earliest printmaking technique, dating back to 9th century China. The artist draws a sketch on a plank of wood and then uses sharp tools to carve away the parts of the block that he/she does not want to receive the ink. The raised parts of the block are inked with a brayer and then a sheet of paper, perhaps slightly damp, is placed over the block. The block is then rubbed with a baren or spoon, or is run through the press.

Etching prints are generally linear and often contain fine detail and contours. Lines can vary from smooth to sketchy. A waxy acid-resist, known as a ground, is applied to a metal plate. After the ground has dried the artist uses a sharp tool to scratch into the ground, exposing the metal. The plate is then completely submerged in an acid that eats away at the exposed metal. This process is known as biting. The waxy resist protects the acid from biting the parts of the plate that have not been scratched into. The longer the plate remains in the acid the deeper the incisions become. The plate is removed from the acid and the ground is removed with a solvent such as turpentine. The entire plate is inked. A wad of cloth is often used to push the ink into the incised lines. The surface is wiped clean with a piece of stiff fabric known as tarlatan or newsprint paper. The wiping leaves ink only in the incisions. A damp piece of paper is placed over the plate and it is run through the press.

Lithography a printing technology developed a method of imaging limestone from which a print was produced. Based on the principle that oil and water do not mix, an aluminum or plastic plate is coated with a photopolymer film that is exposed to light through a photographic mask. The exposed areas are chemically "hardened," and the unexposed areas are dissolved when the plate is put through a chemical process. When printing a page, the plate is dampened, and the water adheres only to the unexposed, non-image areas, which repell the greasy ink that is applied to the plate immediately thereafter.

Screen-printing also known as "silk-screening" creates bold color using a stencil technique. The artist draws an image on a piece of paper or plastic film can also be used. The image is cut out creating a stencil. A screen is made of a piece of fabric stretched over a wood frame. The stencil is affixed to the screen. The screen is then placed on top of a piece of dry paper or fabric. Ink is then placed across the top length of the screen. A squeegee (rubber blade) is used to spread the ink across the screen, over the stencil, and onto the paper/fabric. The screen is lifted and the image is transferred onto the paper/fabric. Each color requires a separate stencil. The screen can be re-used after cleaning.

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 Peter Walsh shares his thoughts on interior design:

Having an amazing kitchen will not make you Martha Stewart, I totally agree.

Passionate, playful, romance and relaxing

Respect the space and vision!

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Joseph Cornell was one of the many American collage artists but might better be referred to as a homebody artist. Cornell, a lean, grey wraith of a gentleman, was just like one of the odd-duck daydreamers in an Anne Tyler book. Day in and day out, he sat home on Utopia Parkway and sipping herbal tea in his small kitchen while he wrote in his periodicals as well as mused on ballet dancers who had lived a hundred years earlier. He spent most of his life in a frame home found in New York, with his mother and his crippled brother. Cornell had no life to speak of, no friends and very little in the way of physical interactions. Just what he did have was his art, box assemblages. This reclusive, long-beaked person will sally out on modest expeditions involving discovery, scavenging for artifacts of the past in New York junk merchants and flea markets. To Cornell they were the strata of repressed recollection, a jumble of factors ready to be grafted and mated to one another.

Using pieces of the real world, Joseph Cornell built tiny dreamlike universes. A fragment of a zodiacal map, a fascinating postage stamp, a cracked wine glass, a remnant of clay bubble pipe, a shaded ball or two: he arranged pieces such as these right behind the glass front of a timber case to make a whole which embodied his compulsive yet generally enchanting nostalgias. He would sort his finds into their eccentric categories and file all of them with boxes of his own mementos, such as movie stars or perhaps ballerinas he had never ever became acquainted with; and from all of them he created boxes. He would mess with them for years. It is filled with emblems of expeditions Cornell never had taken, a little box of mummified waves and shrunken tropical shorelines, peninsulas, planets, things set in compartments. Even the map on the inside of the lid, cut from some nineteenth-century German graph book, depicts an excessively distant shoreline. The earth is displayed not only as our every day habitat but as one unusual world among others.

Cornell was particularly stricken by the collages of Victorian steel engravings in Max Ernst’s series La Femme 100 tetes. However nowhere in Surrealism will there be imagery that can compare with his. His imagery revolved around childhood infancy with no anger or desire. Often he would crack the glass pane that shielded the contents of the box which suggests that the sanctuary of imagination was invaded. That glass, the ‘fourth wall’ of his miniature theater, is also the diaphragm involving two different realms. It represents outside, turmoil, catastrophe, and the stuff of unprotected life; inside, sublimation, memory, and peace.

Cornell’s imagination looks fey or precious. There’s a dangerous line between sentiment and sentimentality. Yet his gothic dreams and fussily reverential evocations of dead Victorian ballerinas are often drawn back from the edge by Cornell’s rigor as being a conventional artist. Cornell was intensely Francophile, even though he had never ever been in France – see his many personal references to French provincial lodges, and even by the worn, cozy French hues of his box decorations, the ivory whites and pinks and faded blue-grays.

With his well-known shadow boxes, Joseph Cornell, one of the best collage artists, had taken the flotsam of daily life – cheap wine cups, broken dolls, miniature medication containers, rusting thimbles, aged cork stoppers and paper cutouts – and invested all of them with the lustrous permanence of art. In artworks like ”Penny Arcade Portrait of Lauren Bacall,” ”Medici Princess,” ”Roses des Vents” and ”The Hotel Eden,” the real is converted into the surreal, the boring into the magical: movie stars and paper birds turn out to be legendary deities in Cornell’s personal world.

We constantly put the words like “boring” and “art” with each other but collage artists are going to change the way you think about art. Mixed media paintings can demonstrate the wonders of mixed media art that most of us has yet to learn. Unleash the inner Picasso in you.

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