Intuitive Painting and Collage in Mixed Media Art

Hi everybody,

Have you ever wondered about your relationship with mixed media art? Mine is rather complex and goes a long way back. I have always been intrigued by the combination of different media and the rendering of texture but I had to overcome a few creative blocks before I could freely start exploring this type of art making. I made a mini series of small works (24 cm x 17 cm) combining intuitive painting and collage. Let's dive into the world of mixed media art and let me share a little of my journey with you.

"Dream", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage

For the longest time I have stayed away from mixed media because I got caught up in the discussions of the quality of media like lightfastness and acidity and of copyright issues with printed materials like patterned paper, cut outs and other collage elements. My tendency to always strive for perfection held me back from playing and made me stick to the traditional media I was used to. This attitude eventually led to creative block. By boxing myself in and disregarding my yearning to explore I made myself unhappy. It took me quite some time to realise that one needs to let go and have fun and this is perhaps the most important part of the creative process. This is where inspiration truly begins. Freely exploring materials and colors is leading to a mind shift or another point of view that is often the source of new ideas.

"Believe", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage

What attracts me in mixed media are the rich textures and the combination of all sorts of media to render colors, shapes, marks and effects. To me mixed media art is art that can literally be sensed. It also represents play and exploration or in other words freedom. I am mainly an intuitive painter. I will be for as long as that feels right but I explore other ways when I feel the need to take a break from what I usually do. My mixed media work is quite intuitive in its own right. Also here I quiet my mind before starting and I let intuition guide me through layers. In what appears I can distinguish my message of love, peace and compassion that stays the common thread in all of my artwork.

"Compassion", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage

In the mini series I present here the floral theme is recurring and mysterious landscapes come forth. I dedicated a gallery on my website to my mixed media art. Although the work is experimental I can see that it turns out to be very authentic and that also here I am developing my own unique style. A bonus is that the themes, colors and shapes that appear in my mixed media art inspire my intuitive painting and drawing with traditional media.

"Tenderness", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage

The works you see here are made with handmade papers (Nepalese Lokta Papers and Origami), acrylics, paint pens (waterbased Sharpies) and gel pens (Sakura) on heavy paper for acrylics (Fabriano 400g/m2). I used the best quality materials I could find regarding acidity and lightfastness and I decided to spray the works with a varnish with a UV-filter for an extra layer of protection. I have framed a couple and exposed them to normal daylight since January 2016 to see how they are holding up. So far the colours are still brilliant.

"Healing", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage

I hope you enjoy my colorful, playful and joyful mixed media mini series!

If also you love intuitive mixed media art then please share your passion in the comments below or contact me. I would love to hear from you!

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Love,

Rika