Mixed media art is a form of creative expression that is often overlooked. It has been around for centuries and takes many forms, from collage and decoupage to wet and dry media, installations, and scrapbooking. Each type of mixed media art has unique characteristics, but they all have one thing in common – they use multiple mediums to create something beautiful. This blog post will explore the history of mixed-media art and how it has evolved over time.
Collage
Collage is a mixed media art first introduced by French artist Georges Braque in 1912. Collages are typically composed of pieces of paper or fabric that have been cut up or torn into shapes and arranged in an interesting way on a canvas or board. This type of mixed media art can be used to create abstract works or symbolic images. Collages are often seen as a “sampling” technique because it requires the artist to choose different elements from various sources to complete their work.
Decoupage
Decoupage is another popular form of mixed media art. It involves cutting out small pieces of paper or fabric and gluing them onto a surface such as wood, metal, plastic, glass, or ceramic. The paper pieces are usually covered with varnish to give them a glossy finish and make them more durable. Decoupage can also create three-dimensional objects such as boxes, furniture, or sculptures. Unlike collage which usually relies solely on paper pieces to create an image, decoupage combines paper pieces with other materials such as ribbon and beads for added texture and depth.
Wet and dry media
Wet and dry media combines two-dimensional mediums such as watercolor, marker, pencil, or charcoal with three-dimensional elements like clay, fabric or found objects. This type of art allows artists to create visually stunning and tactilely engaging works. It also allows them to explore a variety of materials to find new ways to express their ideas.
Installation art
Installation art is another form of mixed media art that has recently gained popularity. Installation art typically consists of large-scale sculptures or installations made from various mediums, including clay, fiberglass, metal, wood, and fabric. These pieces often incorporate lights, sound effects or other interactive elements to engage viewers on multiple levels and create an immersive experience.
Scrapbooking
Finally, scrapbooking is a popular form of mixed media art that has been around since the 19th century but has recently grown in popularity due to its accessibility and ease of use for people with all skill levels. Scrapbookers use photos combined with textiles, stickers, and other embellishments to tell stories about their lives or commemorate special events such as weddings or graduations in a creative way.
Final thoughts
Mixed media is an incredibly diverse field encompassing dozens if not hundreds of different techniques and approaches taken by artists over centuries worth of time experimenting with new mediums in search of new ways to express their ideas through visual arts. From collage to decoupage, wet & dry media, installation, and scrapbooking, there are endless possibilities for making meaningful artwork utilizing various media.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://towardsdatascience.com/intuition-behind-generative-adversarial-networks-52628d3119f5
2nd image from https://roomfruit.com/decoupage-art/
