Mixed Media ART: What Is It, History, & More
HEAD OVER HEELS by Edna Pines
“I love bringing joy and play into my studio sessions! I hope that my paintings instill a sense of play, joy and self-worth into my collector’s homes— and my mixed media paintings are the perfect example of this! When I am unrestricted by the mediums I am working with, there is limitless possibility! I am always finding new textures and patterns to put into my paintings and this freedom has helped me realize my own self-worth and joy combined with my sense of playfulness!” -Edna Pines
Artists who want to expand beyond standard art parameters can introduce a broader range of mediums, materials, and platforms with mixed media art. Mixed media art allows for experimentation, new ideas, and limitless creativity.
What Is Mixed Media Art?
By definition, mixed media art combines various mediums to create a final art piece consisting of two or more art forms.
For example, mixed media might describe the process of applying paint over a photograph or combining a two-dimensional image with sculpture. Mixed media artists might even create pieces using items from the world around them.
Many pieces of art fall under the mixed media umbrella, including collage, embroidery, and assemblage.
When Did Mixed Media Art Develop?
The earliest recognized mixed media art piece is Pablo Picasso’s collage titled Still Life with Chair Caning. The piece created a three-dimensional effect by combining paper, fabric, rope, and paint.
Subsequently, mixed media art influenced movements like Cubism, and other influential artists like Henri Matisse and Ellsworth Kelly adopted the practice as well. The format continues to grow in popularity today.
What Materials Are Required for Mixed Media Art?
There are no required materials for mixed media art. However, those experimenting with the technique often start with art they’re comfortable producing and branch out from there. Three popular types of mixed media art are painting, photography, and papercraft.
Mixed Media Painting
Mixed media painting may incorporate additional materials, such as wax, salt, or resin, mixed with paint on canvas, or it may combine pastels with acrylic paints. Some artists incorporate origami and other paper or wood into their paintings.
Mixed media painting can also blend techniques, such as using freehand painting with stencils or adding textures and inspiring items from nature to a piece.
Mixed Media Photography
Mixed media photography combines photographic prints with paint, paperwork, sculpture, and more to create dynamic, innovative imagery. Some artists paint on their photographs or augment painted canvases with photographic images. They can also create a sculpture composed of thousands of tiny images.
Mixed Media Papercraft
Mixed media papercraft incorporates a wide variety of techniques. For example, artists may use standard crafting tools and glue to create a multi-dimensional paper sculpture. Or they may employ techniques like collage to combine photos, art, and sentimental objects into a meaningful gift.
Mixed Media Sculpture
A lot of contemporary sculpture is fundamentally mixed media because it uses more than one medium. Combining materials allows artists to create more depth, texture, and structural integrity within their pieces.
One of the most exciting elements of mixed media art is the ability to bring order to chaos or to create something whole out of several disconnected objects to showcase an artist’s vision.