Media Experiments

This media experiment is a texture rubbing in crayon of a reproduction of a Roy Lichtenstein painting.  The image has then been cut up and reassembled with a space left between each piece.  I am referencing my work with mosaics and trying to explore a comfortable technique with a less familiar medium.  The work is about a foot square.  Below are other media experiments I did that I refer to as journal fodder junk food...They are all done on composition notebook paper.  The pieces are snippets of my writing mixed in with small images I collect on a daily basis that serve as fodder for experimentation.  Images are either Uhu sticked on or self adhered, like a sticker.

Pillows, Dreams, Clouds

Here is a media experiment that I have been working with.  It is takes inspiration from works on paper I saw by Ray Kass at his gallery talk at Reynolds earlier this year.  He discussed the idea of stretching paper which was coated with a form of wet bees wax.  This led me to experimenting with crinkling, ripping papers and dipping papers into mixtures of glue, water & oil stain to create various effects and could be manipulated as it hardened on the papers.  They serve as blank canvases to me and it has been suggested in my Mixed-Media Studio Practices course at VCU that they take on the appearance of pillows and suggest dreams.  Included below are different dream scenarios that I encounter on a more personal level.  The free flowing nature of the images suggest there are things in dreams which we may recognize but do not fully grasp the complete image or reasoning involved.

Dimensions: ~20"x13"
Medium:  adhesive, ink, paint pen, pencil, paper, tag board, watercolor

Dimensions: ~20"x13"
Medium:  adhesive, ink, glitter flake, paint pen, pencil, paper, watercolor

Black Friday Turkey

Get your shopping bag ready!  The Black Friday Turkey is here to fill you in on the latest installment of completely unnecessary goodies for you to splurge on...complete with his own line of Nike brand sneakers!

Dimensions: variable
Medium:  glue, paint pen, shopping bag, sneaker (size 12 Nike) & spray paint

Artist's Statement

Communication is a key to understanding. What we are surrounded by as individuals we absorb whether we realize it or not. Sometimes images stick in our mind's eye for reasons we do not understand. We create and accept reasons for what we know based on life's experiences. My artwork addresses imagery that I find a connection with and feel that I can offer a perspective on. My work is very tactile and full of texture. I like to use materials that relate to the subject matter, no matter how odd or seemingly unnecessary. Working with tessellations is a great form because it allows me to be free of perfection as I apply subtle nuances to shapes that are perfectly symmetrical.Taking chances with the medium and letting the elements take over keeps my work exciting and unique, sometimes leading to complete failure, which is great...

Philosollation

A piece based on philosophers discussed in 'The Hedgehog and the Fox' essay by: Isaiah Berlin, as well as reactions to the work of literature. A great experience working with paper, wood, paint and the elements that adhered these images and mediums.

Dimensions: 36"x21.5"
Medium: oil, paper, pencil, sharpie & watercolor on wood

Draw Mo Chikin'!

This is what most chickens in the food service industry look like before they are plucked, chopped up and ready to serve, or freeze.  Most people don't get to see this part of the process, so I have distorted the image with a plastic chicken egg carton and googly eggs.  If your chickens aren't free range they most likely live cramped in a cheap box like this one.  Texture and distortion dominate this image, much like the industry it represents.  Go ahead, eat mo chikin'!

Dimensions:  11.75"x12.5"
Medium:  egg carton, googly eyes, paper, sharpie, staples, watercolor & wood on hardi backer

Mexillation

Yesterday was May Day so I figured what better way to start this blog than with one of my recently completed mixed-media works focusing on construction workers.  This image developed out of a drawing/watercolor that I created on paper.  I chose colors and imagery that reference the flag of Mexico, a country where many migrant workers come from and can be found here in the United States.  In the image and the frame are materials used in construction: hardi backer board, grout, mirrors, industrial adhesive.  The subjects of the drawings have no identifying features and suggest their value as individuals only goes as far as their last day of hard work.

Dimensions: 18"x20"
Medium:  acrylic, grout, mirror, paper, sharpie, tile adhesive & watercolor on hardi backer