Mixed Media

I took a mixed media class at the Art & Soul conference at the Hampton Convention Center this spring. I've done a little mixed media, but not with paint. I had a ball getting my hands dirty and being pushed to try new things. Working quickly was hard for me. I'm used to taking my time to select just the right pieces, not just grabbing what feels right or what will work right away and using it. The class also forced me to do more layering than I'm used to.

This is an altered book. I thought we were going to use pieces of the book, so I chose a book by Bishop Desmond Tutu, Believe: The Words and Inspiration of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, because I liked the feel of the paper and the messages in the book. However, you can't tell what it was now. :) It was a small book, so I had to rip out a page and tape it to another so that I had a large enough canvas to work on.

It was difficult to make something that looked decent (we had to work quickly so decent was the best I could do in such a short time frame) and then be asked to tear it up with scissors or paint over a magazine picture you chose because it had some meaning. However, I liked what I ended up with. I haven't finished this second one, yet. I know, I know...I started it in the spring and haven't finished...but I will! I'm still in awe that I was able to do this in just a few minutes (not counting the time it took to wrap the pages in masking tape).