ideas – Page 3 – Mixy's Art Blog

DIY-TV

A big life shift contains and consists of many minor life shifts. A happy change I’ve made is I now live in a house without at TV.

Seriously? Yep!

‘But you’re gonna get one, right…?’ Nope!

But hey, I got music, radio, podcasts, I got the all-encompassing-web. I got you guys! Most of all, I got way to much to do and think and make and be … TV’s a thing of the past in my world! ……… well, except for ……….. I have got my own special variation that came about through serendipity.

As I unpacked the boxes of belongings, I kept the strong n sturdiest for future use.

I’m not gone get rid of this, now am I? Double walled = super tough, it’s a big flattish box I used to move biggish paintings.

When I noticed its original use, its next incarnation began to enfold in my head. My very own better-than-a-tv…

messy glue-y icky… not a neat corner in sight!

The big flat sides glued together (the smaller side edges will come into play in a future project, doubtless) Covered in a layer of paper and another of sheeting for a clean flat white drawing-pin-in-able surface. (but could equally be something bright n cheery, or mixy-matchy with furnishings – and is infinitely changeable too)

stapled into submission, the corners didn’t square up too bad

And at last, the postcards and flyers I gather up at shows and on gallery trips get to see the light of day.

So over time the ‘picture’ will evolve; it only shows images I love and inspires instead of distracting 🙂

word clumsifulation

Hi folks, hope you’ve all had a great weekend. I had a surprise visit from 2 old friends last night which was wonderful, but meant I didn’t to bed last night til so late it was morning and my ability to do much at all today has been scuppered!

That said, I have finally sat down and written my Artist Statement. Wow, how many times have I put this off ?! It’s in its first draft stage, but if anyone has a mo to glance over it and offer thoughts that would be most kind of you. I think I have the main essence there but the more I read and over read it just scrambles into a clumsy goo of words. I haven’t even printed it off yet (cos those typos show up better on paper than on screen!) so there might be glaringly obvs mistakes I’m screen-blind to.

Now, I’m off to take this weary brain to bed, go rest up for a big bright new week ahead! G’night all 🙂 X

Currently studying for a BA in Fine Art as a mature student, I am a mixed media artist, with an emphasis on utilising reclaimed materials and found objects. I enjoy the process of reinvention which is echoed in my work by the underlying themes of impermanence, the cycle of life, and renewal.

Often beginning with a loose notion of color or form I work intuitively with a range of media, layering painted and hand printed materials in collage and with stitching. I work on several pieces in parallel, allowing space for ideas to incubate. In a process of construction and deconstruction, salvaged scraps and fragments relate to the emerging theme. Elements often migrate between projects; some pieces evolve over a period of years. As I introduce new techniques acquired through my studies, I am always innovating my practice.

I’m continually drawn to forms and structures found in nature, flowing rhythmic lines and recurring patterns. I also find inspiration in the fleeting visual ephemera, shadows, the play of light, and their transient interactions. I surround myself with color, fascinated by its powerfully expressive qualities. Driven by a fervent need to create and visually interpret thoughts; the process of my art is my meditation.

My style is influenced by a range of art and architecture. The Art Nouveau style, calligraphy and Islamic art all engage my interest in combining organic forms with repetition. The work of Naum Gabo, Louise Nevelson, Bridget Riley and the Cubist movement all appeal for their structural, dimensional aspects which challenge the viewer’s perception.

wishing

Just as a little aside from other makings, Not quite a scrap book, not quite a mood board… I’m calling it my Wish Book These are some elements for pages serving to crystalise in my mind the hopes I have for the near future… Delighting in the way they find their places together unplanned (such is my style!) these are the colors and shapes I am running towards the textures and lushness the future starts here! 😀

You feed my soul…

Just thinking to myself, as I click through your wonderous creations and thoughts, how much you enrich my days.

I might not say it often, but I love you guys! X

a day in a page, part 3

Here’s kinda where we left off earlier, the coffee has soaked in and the general consistency of the page is still damp and squodgy.

Time for paint! Inner Kid is impatient with all this waiting, drying, waiting, so we press on:

Paint and drippy ink. And more purple again!

More splatter! More messy!

More!!!

In a bid to tame the splattering we meditate a moment on the yellow ink and coffee-ness of tomorrow’s page. I love this a lot. Even if nothing else comes of this weekend, the ink + coffee thing is going to be replayed!

But it doesn’t do the trick, the splattering amps up…

…………………..can this page be saved??? It’s looking kinda out of control to me……………..

a day in a page, part 2

With a good thick layer of textures heaped onto the page, we really wanted it to look … well… less of a shambles

and splattering, squirting, dripping and flicking color at it seemed the most fun way to proceed.

Much love for the infinite ways that different materials soak, absorb, repel, or seem indifferent towards the colors thrown at them…

merging and reacting…separating and absorbing.

I can suddenly see a composition of sorts, a way forward, a ‘design’ in mind…
But Inner Kid gets twitchy:
Too much the orangey yellow sameness. I need purple! Purple and scissors and curly edges. And I need them now!

More! More curly edges!
Yuh. So looks like we’re headed in a new direction again…. cool….
Mutant Space Geckos!

……………………..to be continued! …………………….. 😉

a day in a page

me and the inner kid had some chores this morning, but we tempered this by including a ‘raid the stationery drawer’ moment in the office (old sticky labels… MINE! semi-dryed up highlighter pens…MINE!. We got nice fresh walnut bread and bananas on the market, we got chocolate…

Back home to play! Now!

Texture demands IK. Any thing – don’t care what – I just need to tear stuff and glue stuff. Now!

Within easy reach of where we’re sat there are stashes of texture. There’s packing paper, cartridge paper (IK had been playing with a compass… so quite a few pages of pencil circles. Had a feeling these would find a use one day)

Strips of off-cut fabric and edges from stuff. A strip of hideous flourescent pink nylon net…

all those little snippings of thread… some, they’re like, less than an inch, little wisps.

We need Color!!!

See the cool ink-squirting device we devised?
(Yes, this is very top heavy and unstable. Yes, it would cause mess and possibly tears and swearing if knocked over. Proceed with caution. Thankfully we managed not to let this happen. The beast is dismantled and disarmed until next he is needed.

on your marks…. get set…

I can feel a big burst of creativity welling up, like a wind-up toy with its springs stretched to capacity,ideas are elbowing each other to get my attention.

The air is filled with static, thunder creeping up, gathering pace, a little flicker of flash heralds the storm. Sparse, fat raindrops. More up there still to fall.

I have to run, I’ll be back with you after the downpour/out-pouring 🙂

bigger brighter monday

Just me, my book and my colors… ideas are flowing again and all is well! 🙂

papery things

The dyed printer manual has really got me thinking about all the other redundant paper lurking in the house and office – future dying ideas………..

All instruction manuals – speshly those ones relating to things long broken, gone or forgotten
Phone directories; the Yellow Pages would be a fab base for warm-colored dyings
Newspaper, magazines (but not the very glossy type – unless there’s time to give them a very thorough scrumpling to break the surface up)
Old bills and receipts, tickets, shopping lists, that kinda stuff
Paper bags

Added to previously explored and sucessfully played with……..

Old envelopes
Out of date manuals/instructions, insurance docs (they send me all this art paper every year!)
Diary Pages – the calendar pages, the lists of international holiday dates and all the extra stuff that isn’t actual diary & the unused pages!
Maps
Sheet Music
Misprints from the computer – y’know when it fails to feed the paper and you get the top inch on one page and the rest on another. Both of these!