The image you see above was my mixed media art installation from 2024, in 7th grade that I am continuing now. Ever since 7th grade, me, my friends, and teachers have called the series Hello Darkness My Old Friend after the song Sounds Of Silence since it kept coming back to “haunt” me. I’ve always enjoyed and loved working on this series and it brought and still brings me such joy and happiness to continue it.
Saturation, selective saturation, perspective, pattern, mixed media, the element of chance, identifying small moments, embracing mistakes, and using things not as they are intended to be are my key words and phrases and come together in my art
The question that guided me through my art process was, how can I use the element of chance using photography and mixed media together?
My progress:
In the beginning, like the photo on the left I had my friends Tally, Owl. and Axel help me make things for me to cut out. There’s some things on regular paper and some on Kraft paper. In the beginning I had just started and was not completely in the right place, I was really struggling on placement and where to place them on the paper. In the beginning I wanted to make one big thing with all the scapes I had but then realized it would be better and more effective to sort them into colors. As time passed, as you can see in the two pictures above not only did I get faster and more efficient at making each piece but I also found the right placement for everything, I became more confident. Now I have my final three pieces! While doing these artworks I also developed new techniques that I can take with me along the way.
In my artworks I used a mixture of materials such as photographs, Posca markers, watercolor, chalk pastels, Kraft paper, and more. Here are the photos I used in my mixed media artworks.
One artist that inspired me is a 42 year old Nigerian painter, exsperimental artist, and fine arts teacher named Eghosa Raymond Akenbor. In his art he uses a variety of materials to create all his unique art pieces, including one of his pieces which is shown in the background. He inspired me by showing me how I can mix many different materials together to create my art.
My Artist Statement: My work explores the mix between media, layers, trial and error, as well as the elements of chance and choice. I used similar materials such as Posca markers, pastel chalk, Kraft paper, exacto knifes, sharpie, water color, paper, and more! I also discovered new techniques for example, I take posca markers and put a lot on the paper and smudge it to make cool ball effect. I used a lot of new techniques this year, some that didn’t work out as well and some that did! It’s all about trial and error. In the beginning, one challenge I faced was the placement of my art. This was very hard for me and had me discouraged. Although throughout the year I started to not only become faster at placing my art but became more confident in doing it as well. Also I knew when to stop and when a piece was finished which made me more efficient and faster, instead of me continuing it. In conclusion I’m very proud of my art, all I achieved, and where I have come, from my art starting at the beginning of the year to the end.