March 2, 2012

Aspiring Artist Finds Refuge in Mixed Media

I was approached by a freelance writer for a feature story on EmptyEasel.com, but when I checked her out, I discovered that she was a mixed media artist, too… and though she has a very different style, I thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with her, myself.

Alyice Edrich has always been a creative soul, dabbling in various crafts and trying to find her way in the art world hasn't always been easy. She would see so many wonderful, talented artists… artists she is simply in awe of, and she would wonder, "What could I possibly offer the world compared to these masters?"

Her self-doubt caused her to keep her desire—her craving to create—a secret. Sure, she'd create a few trinkets here and there over the years, and she loved to sit down with her children (when they were smaller) and craft together, but the idea of attempting to make something that would sell, let alone something she would willingly share with the world, that was another story entirely.

But after moving to South Dakota, the long winters and the quiet of the land took their hold on her and she developed a serious case of depression. Without a creative outlet (as they were now renting and her children were "too grown" to create with her) the depression simply lingered. It got so bad, that her husband feared for her… that's when he told her that she had to start creating again.

"We may be renting, but you can still create," he told her. "And the children may not want to craft with you anymore, but there's no reason you can't do it by yourself."

Of course, "by herself" wasn't something she wanted to hear. She felt too alone, too isolated, as it was. But she decided to listen to her husband and give it a try and what she discovered was that creating something with her hands again made her feel alive again, concentrating on the task at hand made the isolation disappear, and the final outcome—whether it was good or bad—made her smile.

The more she began creating with her hands, the more she wanted to share what she created with others, but not knowing anyone in the local area made it hard to share, let alone get constructive feedback, so she turned the 'net where she met a woman who told her to start an art blog, and start posting her art online.

"Even if you're the only person who reads your blog," the woman told her, "the act of sharing your art will free you, challenge you, and encourage you. It will give the confidence you need to keep on creating."

It's now been four years since Alyice started that journey and she's so grateful for her husband's insistence that she pick up a paintbrush… mainly because it opened up a whole new world to her and allowed her to meet some amazing artists, and partly because the act of creating something heals her soul in a way writing, cooking, or other tasks can't.

Today, Alyice creates what she likes to call contemporary folk art, or mixed media art. "It's rudimentary compared to the artists I admire," says Alyice, "but it makes me happy."

Alyice will try anything once, but what she's found is that she really enjoys taking old bottles, tin cans, molding paste, and acrylic paints and creating art jars. For her, they are functional art at its best and a great way to de-stress, calm anxiety, and simply "be in the moment". And it's a great way to enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching her favorite, mind-numbing sitcoms.

You can learn more about Alyice and her art at alyiceedrich.blogspot.com or alyiceedrich.net

December 26, 2010

Collage Artists

Collage Artist: Elaine Brady Smith

Collage is a vital innovation in art from the 20th century, and this can be stated with confidence since there is absolutely nothing parochial about the medium. It’s drawn international artists and has already been modified to any or all types of two-dimensional work.

Elaine Anthony, a painter that specialised in lush semi-abstract scenery. Ms. Anthony began her creative profession producing wire sculptures, fabric banners and paintings on fabric, usually accomplished as commissions for Mexican hotels. Her work grew up to semi-abstract scenery as well as collages, usually fulfilled in a loose painterly style.

Karen Landey is really a proficient Oregon-based collage artist and videographer. Karen’s creative urges took her on a quite interesting route during the period of her life. She has generally searched for things to do which are enjoyable and inspiring and also the creative procedure she created growing up continues to be maintained all through her life. Over the course of a very long time Karen continues to be involved in many creative endeavors such as sewing cloth, batik, jewelry making, writing, airbrush painting, photography, videography, mixed media and digital collage. She has usually discovered a way to communicate her imagination via a various platforms.

Robert Rauschenberg was one of the many American collage artists who grew to become notable during the 50′s crossover from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is acknowledged for his “Combines”, in which non-traditional objects as well as things ended up being used in groundbreaking combos. Rauschenberg was each a painter plus a sculptor, however he additionally toiled with taking photos, printmaking, papermaking, and performance. Rauschenberg’s occupation demonstrates much more about the New York art local community. His state of mind toward the actual ways of art widened to media, women and men, almost everything.

Joseph Cornell was one of the numerous American collage artists yet far better be referred to as being a homebody artist. Cornell, a slim, grey wraith of a man, was such as one of the odd-duck daydreamers in an Anne Tyler book. His belongings were his artwork and box assemblages. This particular reclusive, long-beaked man will sally forth on modest trips including knowledge, scavenging for artefacts of history throughout New York junk shops and flea trading markets. To Cornell they were the strata of repressed memory, a jumble of elements prepared to be grafted and mated together.

Painter and collage artist Jess Collins. “He had been the fundamental San Francisco artist,” stated Harry Parker, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, who knew Mr. Collins well. “His political views and his nice creative design, his association using the poetry picture, his advocacy of gay rights — all of the issues that came into his work were so associated with the San Francisco perspective. Only here would you picture work like his being made.”

Originally a chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project, Jess abandoned science and became an artist to protest nuclear weapons. Jess: To and From the Printed Page explores his relationship with printed materials, "as food and inspiration for his literary, esoteric vision."

Sam Price is a San Francisco based collage artist who focuses on pet portraits. He is a self-taught artist and had usually used accessible materials included in his instinctive procedure for making art. First, he reports the image, focusing on the nuances of the mouth and eyes. And then make an in depth power grid on the canvas to do something as a blueprint for that picture. He reuses a lot of the old magazines and sign up for a ton of magazines and spend considerable time simply searching for the supplies which best match the fabric, trying to find the perfect color match. He usually experienced about ten to fifteen magazines open immediately and cut the images in to 1 or one-and-a-half-inch squares. Beginning with the eyes he is able to generally know if the portrait is taking form, if they can get the proper similarity within the eyes.

December 22, 2010

Creating a Custom Collage Artwork

Custom collage artwork is always a special type of art that will hold its value for more than a lifetime. Creating a custom collage artwork is a technique of composing work of art by pasting on one surface numerous materials not usually associated with each other. You don't need to be an artist in order to create a collage that artistically displays your pictures. Making a collage is fun, easy, and creative. You are going to make a collage to represent who you are. Determine what kind of things you like, what are your hobbies, favorite colors, and favorite singers. You can put anything that you love into your collage! Be creative! It's about things that interest you.

You don't need to be an artist in order to create a collage that artistically displays your pictures. You can choose recycle and other materials with your photographs. Try various techniques such as a decoupage method (which uses multiple copies of the same image, cut and layered to add apparent depth) or manipulate images with "Photoshop." You can also search online for a collage maker for tips.

Assemble and set aside a selection of photographs to include in the collage. Selections can range from inspiration, subject matter to a topic. Alternatively, choose a mixed selection of favorite photos.

Decide on mixed media by using additional bits and pieces to produce a collage with depth, texture, color and meaning. Cut out expressive words in magazines or newspapers that is related to your photographs or your emotions. If you can’t find expressive words with your materials at home, use your computer and play with different color and fonts.

It’s time to arrange the photo on the board and overlap in blank areas. Use one photograph as a focal point and arrange your photo around it. With the focal photograph, decide on a color scheme for the overall collage. Once you have a pleasing composition, blend in non-photographic items. At this stage, consider if the colors are balanced and if the arrangement is creatively composed.

Use a pencil to write the location of the photos before lifting them off the board. It’s time to build the collage in stages. Shift through the chosen photos and select the important aspects of the picture that should be saved. Tear some of the photographs to enhance the artistic elements in the collage.

Now replace the cropped photos and insert more picture or items as necessary. Start grouping the pictures closer together to the edged border of canvas. This area can be brushed later with metallic translucent paint or create a weathered effect with sepia ink.

Lift bottom pictures first and glue them to the board, one at a time. Check to see if any sections need to be reattached. Allow the collage to dry overnight. Seal the finished collage with several coats of sealant, allowing each coat to dry before applying another.

Custom collage artwork is a great idea great gift to give your parents, grandparents, partners and best friends. It is also a perfect bonding activity you can do with your love ones together. All you have to do it is follow the steps and process mentioned above.

December 6, 2010

Collage Painting 101

Collage painting created by Tracey in our painting class.

Collage Painting combines two mediums of art, paint and paper. It is a work of formal art, mainly in the visual arts, built via an assemblage of different varieties, hence building a different whole. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, amounts of many other artwork, photographs and additional found materials, glued to a piece of paper or else canvas. The gadgets are quite simple. You will require scissors, a trustworthy craft blade in addition to a ruler. You will certainly also need some wood epoxy or any any other paper glue and, most importantly, a considerable piece of plank about one half a meter square, on which to operate. As an alternative operate on a panel than a desk, since this may be really a dirty activity. In begining the integration of any shade into the collage, one will certainly also ought a few classic tubes of acrylic paint- the primary colors, red, yellow together with blue will be enough- along with a bowl of clean water as well as a few house brushes. Last but not least, have a small sponge plus a few clean cloths available.

Creased, clear, reflective as well as obviously textured papers is going to provide exciting surface characteristics. The patterns could be cut or torn. Ripped edge is usually better with keeping with the spontaneity and also expressive aspect. Make use of the cut edge of a classifieds or even magazine to suggest a particular vertical or even horizontal split inside the structure. Some artists like to arrange the paper patterns just before gluing most in place. This enables them to consider the arrangement with the different models just before choosing to a certain concept. Start with nice shape and bind that in placement, and afterward incorporate other shapes in regard to the first one.

Make your mind up on a shape then fasten it in place. Always be able to maintain the original stages of the painting pretty undefined - so allowing various kinds of options in terms of the way to proceed. Often, commence with basically five designs: these will reveal the essential divisions in the arrangement, that I often highlight by extending them right across the figure.

To secure the different collage shapes in set, benefit from a matt acrylic medium - usually Spectrum Copolymer Emulsion - which is water-resistant, as opposed to PVA, which usually is equally suitable as an adhesive, is water-soluble. Thin down the acrylic choice utilizing water,make use of by using thin papers, but administer it pure for gluing items such as corrugated card, mount board and clothing. An excellent option method is to impress a paper shape directly into an space of damp acrylic shade. Furthermore there are occasions when you can get started with collage instead of paint probably a figure done from torn articles of paper, or even patterns cut out of Manila paper. Also, collage is a very useful concept for introducing small highlights and contrasts associated with color, utilizing specific shapes trimmed from colored paper. An individual could possibly place collage at any specific point while you are working on a painting.

Collage painting has a supreme variety of maneuvers that are employed by many artists. It is consistently great to practice it and also even better whenever you get instruction from a knowledgeable coach or from anyone who purely treasures it and is good at it.

November 11, 2010

How to become a collage artist

Hannah created collage art work in our private lesson...

Collage artist can be defined as someone, who uses photographs, newspaper, bits of shaded or hand-made paper and other objects, fixed to a piece of paper or canvas. There are several types of collages in the art industry such as solid art collage, photograph art collage, tissue paper art collage, collage painting, collage with wood, decoupage and photomontage. Anyone could be a collage designer once you decide which collage technique suites you. Doing this is often as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be.

As a new collage artist creating a collage is not really something you need step-by-step instructions for. There can be, however, a few elementary procedures you must stick to make a collage.

First choose a base for your collage. The foundation for your collage is often as uncomplicated as a piece of paper or a quite heavy paper, which is recommended considering that you'll be making use of a lot of glue to make your collage. Here are a few materials you can use as a base poster board, cardboard, canvas, empty picture frame, or any flat item. After you've decided the initial step you are three steps away from becoming a collage artist.

Second step is to gather the items to glue onto the base of your collage. You can utilize just about anything you like to create your collage. Collage artist use the common items like magazine photos, photographs, or elegant paper. Go through your craft cupboards, magazine racks, or browse through your junk container to discover unique objects you can use. Again, you're one step far from being a collage artist.

Third step is to determine what glue to work with. The glue you decide to make use of for your collage design depends on what stuff you are using in your collage. Sometimes you might use a couple different kinds of glue in your collage. Here are a few typical glues that work best for you: glue stick, zip dry glue or craft glue. One more step and you'll become a collage artist.

Now it's time to create your collage. You have your foundation, the things you'll use to create your collage, and right glue, and you can begin creating your collage. You can start setting up your collage objects on the base before you decide to glue it together. This will help you to arrange on how you would like your collage to look. And then begin sticking them down all over the foundation. Feel free to use a pair of scissors or utility knife to cut the items you're using into the desired shapes and sizes. You may also experiment with ripping your items. Once your collage items are all in place, set it aside and let it dry.

Collage artist could be anyone who would like to make a collage. Don't forget, collage is more of trying out various sources, colors, and pictures than following step-by-step directions. The more you play around with creating collages, the more ideas you'll get. Great job you're now a collage artist!

We usually put the words "boring" and "artwork" collectively but a collage artist will change how you look at art. A mixed media painting will be able to demonstrate the wonders of mixed media art which most of us has yet to learn. Unleash the inner Picasso in you.