how mixed media found me.

Its been almost 3 years now that I have indulged in mixed media art. I have worked a few different canvasses, paper projects, altered bottles and more recently in art journaling. But there is a really special story to how mixed media found me.

It all started with me wanting to make a hand made gift for my daughters 18th Birthday. I was looking for ideas on how to make this thought a reality so decided a visit to my local art store would help inspire me. And it did! On the top shelf there sat this canvas that I had been ogling for a while. That afternoon I asked to see it more closely and I was intrigued by the intricate little details that were not evident from afar. My friend Melinda owns that art store and it just so happened that it was one of her art works. She told me about the painting and how she came to experiment with that mixed media art and lent me the book she had worked from. It was my first introduction to Kelly Rae Roberts and the world of mixed media and ‘she’ art.

Lots of google hours later I had a plan….well sort of! I spent 2 working days on that project. It was a first for me on so many different elements! from tools to mediums to techniques. Plenty of help was at hand because I worked at the shop itself. Firstly because I had to be away from home so it would be a surprise for my daughter and secondly for convenience, because everything I needed was sold at the shop.

To say I winged it is putting it mildly!….and of course being someone that really takes a challenge head on, I painted a face on my first canvas in over 20 years!

This was where it all began. There is decoupage, collage, painting, rubs ons and plenty more in this project. The girl represents my daughter. The angel is one of her most favored symbols as it forms part of her name. The wings are part angelic part representative of the freedom that comes with age. That breaking out of a cocoon as it were is also why there are butterflies (and because they are my favorite). It carries her love for music, her pet cat and some words of wisdom that will always hold her in good stead.

In a few months she will turn 21!!! I have already been asked for another art work to commemorate that big day…..and some pre-orders on other birthdays to come…lol.

And so Mixed media sort of found me…..this was the start…..it pushed me out of a shell. I found myself exploring so many kinds of art forms, I took classes, I made art, plenty of it, I indulged myself completely…..heck I even taught classes this past year! A journey begins with the first step…..and this was my first step in my art journey and the world of mixed media.

xxx

Gizelle