The third section of my book
The Mixed-Media Artist introduces fourteen gallery artists who reflect the unique and very personal style that is seen in all artists who collectively work in mixed media. Each of them is highlighted below, along with their picture, their link, an artwork captured from their online site, and some thoughts about what they mean to me.
Let the gallery exhibition begin...
Brian Kasstle
A maker of introspective, layered, meaningful, color-saturated and passionate journal pages. Brian and I first connected online back in 2009 and have been supporters of each other's journeys ever since. We will finally get to meet in person in 2014 when I head out to California to teach. I so admire his ability to seamlessly use color, image, and texture to create pages that come from the heart and offer the viewer a world of detail to uncover and explore.
What can I say about the irrepressible Dina Wakley? She is one of a kind and a person with boundless energy, enthusiasm and humor. Oh....and talent too! Her journal pages and mixed media works are ahead of the curve and perfectly reflect the dynamo that she is. I met her in person this past year at Art Unraveled in Arizona and immediately became am even bigger fan. If you haven't already caught the fever, check out her book
Art Journal Freedom
.
Eileen Williams
I met Eileen when we both exhibited at the Parallax Art Fair in New York City. We were booth mates and a better exhibition partner I could not have found. I was blown away by her totally unique voice and awe-inspiring fiber artworks. Rarely do you find an artistic approach that you have never seen before and that is the case with Eileen. The fact that Eileen might just be the nicest person I have ever met is pretty cool too!
I made it my quest to explore the Internet to find artists that were new to me for this book. In doing so, I came across Felicity and never looked back. She is a textile artist from Australia and as soon as I saw the images on
her website's homepage, I knew I had found something special. It has been a pleasure getting to know her since then and I have to say that the work she created for the book blew me away with its design, power and meaning.
John Arbuckle
John is an example to all artists with his endless curiosity, eagerness to learn, and willingness to try new techniques in art. These attributes, combined with his talent and dedication, equal amazing art. I was able to meet John in person and spend some quality time with him when I visited Washington State to teach. It was a pleasure to see his artistic process in action and get to know the person behind the art better. I am always excited to see what he creates next.
I met Karin in NYC when we were both exhibitors at the Parallax Art Fair in 2012. I was immediately drawn to her bold, graphic pieces that seemed to take on a life of their own. I found her repetitive use of shapes and confident use of color to be mesmerizing and altogether fascinating. Each piece is its own unique world that is very easy to get lost in. I was thrilled when she agreed lend her voice to the pages of my book.
I discovered Kelly's work on Etsy quite a number of years ago and have been a fan of her and her work ever since. I have always thought that she is an example of the creativity that is possible when you are filled with both talent and endless imagination. She brings a boatload of humor and quirk to her pieces in the best possible way. They are truly unlike any other work that I have seen and always bring a smile to my face.
Laura and I go back at least to 2009 when we first "met" online. She is primarily a collage artist and is truly one of the most accomplished people I know in this area. She has the ability to create the most cohesive and seamless collages that, while being primarily abstract, tell their own story. She is also very generous, spending much time teaching others and sharing her techniques on her online sites. I look forward to one day in the future when we can meet.
I have known Nancy online for at least 4 years and have had the pleasure of meeting her in person at a number of art retreats. She is a mixed media collage artist whose work often has a vintage flair. She has a way with color, symbolism, and composition. The joy she feels in creating is always evident in her work. She herself has an amazing energy and spirit and one cannot help but feel uplifted when she is around. Always looking forward to the next time our paths cross.
Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch
I have admired Trish and her amazing artwork since before I started my own blog back in 2007. She was in part my introduction to encaustics and having seen her artwork in person I know just how incredible it is. Trish is also one of the busiest artists I know. She has started her own retreat (EncaustiCamps), has several DVDs and books (her newest being
Encaustic Painting Techniques), her own line of stencils, and more! I am thrilled for her well-earned success.
I have loved Patti's artwork -- and particularly her unique style -- since first seeing it online many years ago. She combines paper, stitching, drawing, mark making, and painting to create the most ethereal works of art that often seem like a precious piece of ephemera. She often uses symbols and mixes abstract shapes with representational objects. They all have a sense of being figurative snapshots from a dream or a memory.
When I think of Ro I think of color. Full, bold, bright, in-your-face-color (see photo above). Ro and I have connected online since 2007 and I have always admired her incredible, one of a kind journals created from her own hand-colored papers. But her work in jewelry, fabrics, and painting are equally amazing. And always bursting with color! Ro is from Australia and I hope to meet her when I head there to teach next year.
Robert is one of my artist friends from NYC. I met him through his wife
Elizabeth Wix, a writer with whom I have co-taught a workshop. Robert's work fascinates me and I have had the pleasure of watching him work. His talent crosses many mediums, including drawing and painting, and his subject matter is often unusual, quite varied, and very creative. I love that he often takes a static object and somehow infuses it with movement.
Stephanie is one of those artists that truly amaze me. First of all, she is one of the originals in our art community to work with encaustics. And the artwork that she creates are special. And unique. And absolutely endearing. But...she is equally adept at creating jewelry. Really good, mixed media jewelry. She has truly mastered two very distinct artistic arenas. Who says you can't do it all!
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Thank you all for visiting my blog for 30 Artists/30 Days and for The Gallery 14. And thanks so much to all 44 artists who have contributed to my book. You truly are an all-star team!
