Artist Daily : Mixed Media

Tell Your Story Your Way

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 03:43:00 GMT

I have always loved myths and legends. It comes from appreciating a good story and all the things that go into the very best storytelling. The mixed media artwork of Julie Buffalohead shares stories of all types, blending personal narratives and metaphors, as well as cultural ones. But the artist complicates her paintings and drawings by using animals to enact her narratives, essentially making up new and contemporary fables that are playful on one hand but also touch on more serious issues of motherhood, childhood, and Native American stereotypes and identity.

Hostage by Julie Buffalohead, mixed media on paper, 2008, 19 x 25.5.

Buffalohead casts all kinds of animals in her stories. Ravens and coyotes play significant roles in Native American culture and stories, but unicorns and teddy bears appear in the artist's mixed media paintings as well. In Hostage, a wolf holds a unicorn up for viewing to a mix of stuffed animals and wild critters that stand watching. The innocuousness of the scene contrasts with the expectation of the dire alarm one expects from the title. Yet this "hostage" situation can be understood by people in all stages of life, from kids who feel that adults hold all the power, to adults who are trapped in situations that are hemming them in. Buffalohead channels it all through her art.

Sour Cherries by Julie Buffalohead, 24 x 33.5, mixed media on paper.

The resulting works are charming and enjoyable to view on one hand but also loaded with meaning as you spend more time with them. The artist voices what is going on in her life and in her head through devices we can all relate to and, on a basic level, understand.

Buffalohead is one of many artists who has found a way to tell her stories her way. Just about every issue of Southwest Art profiles painters and sculptors who share this commonality. It is a great resource for artists who have a penchant for collecting, as well as for those of us who just like to know who is out there in the contemporary art scene in the region. Your copy of the latest issue is available now. Enjoy!

Love Them Extra Because They're Weird

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:12:00 GMT

I own up to the fact that I am drawn to the portraits artist Jenny Morgan creates because they are unconventional. Yet they capture qualities of the human face and our other human qualities in ways that read very true and lifelike. I like them because they are different, but not just because they are different.


	Merging the Phantom by Jenny Morgan, oil on canvas, 42 x 32, 2012.

When learning how to draw faces, there is a lot of rote visual information to take care of--two eyes, one nose, one mouth. Yes, each face is different, but the nuts and bolts of the work are the same. This can sometimes standardize the way we work. Maybe you've seen this. Taking a portrait class, everyone's works can look the same. And this makes absolute sense in a class setting. But individual artists need to discover their own way of drawing faces and painting the human figure that is theirs and theirs alone. Morgan has, and she doesn't let the baseline of similarity implicit in all portraits (two eyes, one nose, one mouth) prevent her from articulating things through the human face in new ways.


Bunny by Jenny Morgan, oil on canvas, 37 x 32, 2012.

She uses color, shadows, angles and a collage effect of images (a profile versus a frontal portrait, for example) to create moments that are psychologically intense and visually stunning. To do this in a genre of painting that has been around for centuries, such as portrait drawing, I consider to be even more impressive.

If you've found the person or model who makes you want to start drawing faces but you want to make sure you do your subject justice with strong skills and sensitivity, Expressive Portraits: Watercolor and Mixed Media Techniques will give you the instruction you need with demonstrations in watercolor, pencil, pastel, and more, including information on using brushwork techniques and layering to give each face you draw liveliness and spirit. Enjoy!

A Color Vortex

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:48:00 GMT

Looking at Mark Messersmith's artwork is like being sucked into a kaleidoscope. The colors are bold, varied, and everywhere. It seems odd to say this. I mean, of course, there is color everywhere--it's a painting. But what stands out about Messersmith's work is that the colors, more than anything else, lead you through the painting. A certain color will appear in the sky, then on a bird's wing, then in the sheen of light reflected off a bear's fur. As a result, your eye follows the path and, in many cases, reads the work through the interwoven color schemes.

Wayfarers by Mark Messersmith, 2005, oil on canvas with
carved wooden top parts and mixed media predella box,
72 x 75.

It's an interesting approach and one that must have taken a great deal of trial and error when it comes to color mixing in order for the artist to get the right color against the right background. If he hadn't honed his color skills through extensive practice, the colors mixing around and swirling across his fine art oil paintings just wouldn't be effective.


May Blooming by Mark Messersmith, 2009, oil on canvas with carved wooden top parts and mixed media predella box, 65 x 82.

Messersmith's works are incredibly busy and filled edge to edge with visual content and very little negative space. He obviously chooses his colors--bright hues foremost-with care so that they can stand up to such busy compositions. In other situations the colors might be considered garish, but the way Messersmith uses them works. The colors seem the perfect complement to their busy surroundings.

If you are interested in plumbing the depths of basic color theory and learning how to mix colors in a ridiculously large quantity, then 600 Watercolor Mixes and 500 Acrylic Mixes are the resources you may want to start with. With literally hundreds of color-mixing formulas and easy-to-understand tables, you'll be ready to take on any color combination you can think of for your next painting. Enjoy!

Experiment With Abstract Art

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:11:00 GMT

I don't know if I've ever said these words "out loud" to you, but they deserve to be said, repeatedly and loudly. So here I am, virtually hollering at you across cyberspace: Experiment with abstract art!

I know we have talked about how thinking abstractly is a key to any successful painting, realistic or otherwise. But the point that shouldn't be lost is that abstraction is a rewarding way to work in and of itself, as well as being a gateway to representational works.

Madame Butterfly by Helen Frankenthaler, woodcut, 2000.

I could fill sketchbooks full of abstract paintings and mixed media sketches combining charcoal and oil pastels or watercolor and graphite. These ways of painting call out to me in less formal ways and make me just want to play and move color and line across the page without any rules.


		A largely abstract work by Marshall Arisman that presents highly altered yet still recognizable forms, namely the human body.

I don't mean to say that all abstract art is visually successful, but I do think that all experiments with abstract art can teach you a lot about observing what you are doing and really seeing the work that you are creating for what it is. And when you work abstractly or mix media you are less likely to conform to outside expectations about what objects, figures, and landscapes should look like. At least that is how it is with me, and I find that mindset exhilarating.

So feel free to indulge in formless visions and ideas that don't live so concretely in the "real" world. And look to artists like Marshall Arisman. His Modern Mixed Media DVD is an inspiration to me and I hope to you as well! Enjoy!

It Is Like a Gift From Above

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:13:00 GMT

Working with artists is a lot of fun. Really, I would put nothing before it in terms of what I want to do with my life's work. But sometimes it can be a little like herding kittens, and it can get really frustrating if the artists aren't organized. (But really, that never happens...never.)


Mom Learning to Float by Allison Maletz, watercolor painting. Maletz is one of those artists who keeps a complete and ever-evolving record of all her works.

I guess it is asking a lot to expect an artist to create phenomenal paintings and be a good bookkeeper, so if I had just one suggestion (or plea) for all the artists out there, it would be to have something--a website, a catalog, a blog, or an album--of all your images with information including their titles, media, dimensions, and so on.

Keeping this sort of record helps you as an artist, and it helps the writer, gallerist, museum curator, or buyer you are communicating with as well. For one, an artist can easily sell art online using this basic format of image and info. But it also helps when marketing your art. When I am writing about an artist, I like to get a sense of where their style started and what phases of painting they've gone through. A catalog can really help show that.

Also, doing this means that you have been photographing paintings as they have come off your studio wall, which is something all artists should really do. You spend all the time working on a piece, you want to be able to show it off--not just to the lucky person who ends up buying it but also to the people you network with along the way. This kind of reference shows what you've been doing in the studio all along.


		Two people go on holiday for ever by Ian Francis, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48. Francis keeps an up-to-date blog of his latest projects.

To me this sounds like such a simple thing, but I know a lot can get in the way of it, so if you have the opportunity to start creating this kind of record of your work, I definitely encourage you to do so. It's the best way to start your art business and can be used as a building block for your it in a myriad of ways.

And if you are an artist working in a professional or semi-professional capacity, or if you are simply ready to treat your art with more of an art-business sensibility, consider a subscription to The Artist's Magazine. You'll find advice and networking tips from practicing artists, insights on how to market and sell your artwork, plus tons of inspiration that will help make your paintings the best they can be. Enjoy your subscription!

Too Grown Up for Homework?

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:18:00 GMT

I'm not qualified to tell anyone what they should or should not do, but if I was to give us--and by "us" I mean those artistically inclined individuals who love painting, drawing, and mixed media art--a universal homework assignment, it would be to sketch every day. Every. Single. Day.


Julie by Jon deMartin, 2007, chalk drawing, 20 x 18.

Why? Simply because we get good at the things we do every single day. But I know it is a lot to ask. Responsibilities and work take up the lion's share of our daily hours. Most of us do the things we love a few times a week if we are lucky. But the rewards of finding a few minutes every day for our art are tantamount to the weeks and months in the studio that we may never get.

A quick mixed media portrait with pen and ink and watercolor of a family member watching TV, taking your sketchbook outside for a quick drawing session of the landscape, or creating a charcoal sketch of your kitchen table clutter are relatively quick and accessible ways to make sure you get to practice your art once a day. So what if it isn't the greatest artwork you'll ever create? I'm willing to bet that after a month has passed, you'll have a stack of works--an impressive feat in itself--and a few of them will be pieces you wouldn't mind showing around or taking into the studio to build upon.


	A pen and ink drawing of an abandoned house by Claudia Nice.

Practicing my art in fits and starts--well, mostly in fits--is what I do. And I know most of you do, too. But spending as little as 15 minutes on drawing every day is a really substantial way of putting your art smack dab in the middle of your life without putting too much pressure on yourself.

If you are looking for strategies or inspirations to get you going, Discover Your World in Pen, Ink & Watercolor is a popular resource by well-known instructor Claudia Nice that can help put you on the right path. Enjoy!

You Won’t Get Anywhere With Half Measures

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 04:17:00 GMT

I've been told by more than one person that I try to see both sides of any issue. And my personal life aside, I can attest that I also do the same for art--I like to see it from all sides, materially speaking. That makes me a perfect match for mixed media art because you can combine so many different kinds of materials and objects to make mixed media paintings.

Mixed media artists can't be faint of heart. You have to be brave to try mixed media techniques that you've never tried before, but I've discovered that you won't get anywhere--and you kind of feel let down--if you don't push it enough to show that you are actually mixing media.

Earth by Kiki Smith, 2011, ink, crayon, watercolor,
gold and silver leaf, glitter and pencil on paper, 108 x 72.

What I mean is that, sure--combining pencil sketching and then oil painting is technically mixing media. But who's going to really know? With mixed media, you have a chance to really push it. Take Kiki Smith for example. In her works on paper, she not only creates line drawings, she also embellishes the heck out of the surface of her pieces with watercolor; she'll add shimmering mica and glitter for a bit of bling; she'll coat her surface to alter its absorption characteristics.

There are also mixed media techniques you can use to get unusual surface textures, and taking a razor or pair of scissors to a piece to shred the edges or make cutouts is an interesting practice. Mixed media collage can be combined with almost any kind of painting practice for really astounding finished products, too.

Year of the Dog #8 by Judy Pfaff, woodblock print with collage and hand coloring.

Seen in this light, I really think that mixed media art is the art world's last undiscovered country. Or I guess I should say "least discovered." It isn't a conventional form yet--and maybe it won't ever be--but that is because artists are acting as explorers and pushing their mixed media artwork new places every time they go into the studio.

To see how far I can push mixed media, I look no farther than the Modern Mixed Media DVD and the Collage in Color eMag. These two digital resources are perfect for me as I start brainstorming my next mixed media artwork, and they give me so many options for materials to use and combine. If ever there was an art practice that offers eye candy galore, mixed media art is it. And these resources can't help but make you want to delve in and create brand new ways of putting new paintings, drawings, and collages together. Enjoy!

Holiday Sweepstakes--Nuff Said!

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:43:00 GMT

Uh, I think I may have stumbled into an artist's dream! The Artist's Network Annual Holiday Sweepstakes is going on right now, offering awesome art prizes from the best painting and drawing product makers and service providers around. Rosemary & Co. brushes? Yes! Strathmore surfaces? Yes! And so many more! It's like a who's who of the top resources and materials that we love so much.

So here's the scoop: Check out the prizes below and mark your calendar for their corresponding days. Then all you have to do is go to the Sweepstakes homepage during that day and enter for the chance to win the prize. That's it! That's it? That's it! Plus you can try for as many prizes as you want--there's no limit.

There are prizes to be won until December 17, and on December 19 a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen. Good luck and happy holidays!!

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Her Work Is Haunting and Powerful

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:50:00 GMT

When I first saw the mixed media art of Lee Bontecou, my world went off-kilter. I had never seen anything like her darkly wondrous abstract art forms before. They are simultaneously lovely and threatening, calling to mind contradictory objects—artillery and transcendent portals, war machines and chrysalises.

Untitled by Lee Bontecou, 1966, welded steel, canvas, epoxy, leather,
wire, and light, 78 1/2 x 119 x 31.

The works are hard to codify. Is it sculptural mixed media collage? Mixed media painting? I'm still not sure. The freestanding and hanging pieces combine porcelain, wire mesh, silk, string, and wire in ways that look like 3-D collage drawings. Drawn lines and hatched marks transform into spindly steel armatures; cutouts of paper or photographs become cloth or canvas wrapped or stitched in place. I see them and think of the vastness of galaxies and the smallness of animalcules (microscopic creatures if you prefer).

Untitled by Lee Bontecou, 1998, welded steel, porcelain,
wire mesh, canvas, and wire, 7 x 8 x 6 ft.

Other works are often affixed to the wall on a frame that resembles a traditional painting canvas, but the works tent in, out, and around the wall on steel frames, ribs, and support cages onto which pieces of canvas and fabric are sewn with wire. In many of them, there is a black hole or opening that confounds—is it a way out or in? Overall, the resulting painting hybrids are like sculptural mosaic art calling to mind altered and abstracted spirals—like the whorls of a seashell—and the nature of black holes that might have once been stars.

Untitled by Lee Bontecou, 1962, welded steel and canvas. 68 x 72 x 30.

Another artist whose work is equally haunting and powerful is the mixed media assemblage of Ruth Rosner. Her work is featured in one of my favorite new eBooks, Mixed Media People, Part 2. In it, you'll find inspiration and instruction on how mixed media can enhance your work, whether you are a painter, sculptor, collagist, or work with fiber and stitching. Mixed Media People, Part 1 and Part 2 are especially helpful because they emphasize the figure in art and how to approach it in new and unusual ways. Enjoy!

Yup, My Junk Drawer Taught Me Painting

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:21:00 GMT

When it comes to certain creative sensibilities--awareness of color, editing a concept--I trust my judgment. I think I have pretty good instincts--maybe not in the execution of said sensibilities in an oil painting I paint myself, but I know good color combos and narratives when I see them in the oil paintings that comes across my desk.

I envision works of art like this (Friends of a Feather by Sadie Valeri, 12 x 16,
oil on panel, 2010) starting as interesting or beloved objects--arranged on a shelf or
stowed away in a drawer--that catch the artist's eye when they are away from the studio.

For me, this ability comes from observing the world around me and seeing what works. Looking at the way objects are arranged on a bookshelf or noticing favored mementos that I like to keep in my "junk" drawer is an oil painting lesson that happens outside the studio. I may not be painting, but I am working my brain, testing compositions, and consciously combining colors that suit me. I look at these objects--little statues, glassworks, postcards, images from magazines--and I ask myself why they're so appealing and try to figure out how they work together.


Artist Paulina Olowska transformed the everyday objects and images that inspire her into an art piece.

"Painting" away from your studio this way can really help you figure out how to oil paint successfully, but creating in a different way while in the studio does the trick too. I've gleaned many good oil painting tips from working with mixed media. Using found-object assemblage, collage, scraps of fabrics, and even exploring digital art, I've found my own creative sensibility that translates to whatever medium I'm working in and not the other way around.

If you see painting--and art as a whole--in your world and want to see what else is out there for your creativity, a subscription to Cloth Paper Scissors might be right up your alley. I always find good tips and ideas that I can apply to painting and drawing, and I am discovering how mind-expanding it is to work in other media as well. Cloth Paper Scissors helps get you there! Enjoy your subscription!

What's So Hard About Sitting in a Chair?

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 03:59:00 GMT

Plenty--especially if you are trying to figure out how to draw a person in that chair. Drawing people standing up is waaaaaay more straightforward than puzzling out how to proportion and position a figure sitting down. But to draw people this way opens up a lot of compositional possibilities for an artist.

Catherine by Robin Frey, mixed media on paper, 9 x 14.

I always think of the legs first. There are so many possibilities--arranging the legs so they are crossed, one leg can be tucked underneath the model, drawn up to his or her chest, or positioned at different levels with the use of a footstool or bench.

There seem to be fewer possibilities when considering how to draw people from the waist up. Arranging the model with their arms stretched out rarely makes sense for such a stationary position--the two halves of the body almost seem to defy each other. But you can have the model's arms hanging loosely at their sides; drawn to one side of the body or the other for the creation of a nice diagonal shape; or have the model curl his or her torso over their knees and tuck in their arms, which can make for an interesting composition, especially in profile with the curvature of the spine accentuated.

Figure drawing by Henry Yan.

Posture also comes into play in a major way when you are learning to draw people sitting down. The model can sit poker straight with shoulders back or the pose can be more relaxed with the figure's spine slightly curved, shoulders setting downward, and pelvis slightly up-thrust to accommodate the slouch.

I'm excited to see all of the various permutations of the figure--and more--when I look through all of the works in our Drawing the Figure eBook. Top instructors and draftsmen explore the figure in thought-provoking ways and show us figure drawings that run the gamut in form, technique, and style. Enjoy!

How Did They Get It To Look Like That?

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:14:00 GMT

Have you ever looked at an abstract art piece or oil painting genre scene or pastel seascape and wonder, how'd they do that?! Chances are the answer lies somewhere in mixed media. Art that tends to defy our eyes does so for a reason--it isn't conforming to a set of rules based on its materiality. Instead, artists blend media and materials to produce effects that aren't by-the-book traditional.


Phoenix by Chie Fueki, 2003, mixed media on mulberry paper, 60 x 84.

First of all, in mixed media art, colors are often very bold. You can combine the intense hues of watercolors with pastels, which have a rich look and feel to them. Or you can create an ink drawing and layer marks made with oil sticks over top of it. The contrast of the rich black pen strokes and the slick passages of oil are quite strong.

The surface of a mixed media painting can also be a lot more interesting because there are a variety of materials and techniques used atop it. A paintbrush loaded with pigment makes quite a different mark than a drawing made with a fine graphite pencil or piece of charcoal. Laying down mixed media collage materials immediately adds interest to a surface, and these inclusions can be as subtle or as in-your-face as you want to make them.

There are a few guidelines for mixed media art. Oil paints tend not to play well with others, so they should often be the last medium applied to a surface. And if you are exploring mixed media artwork, bear in mind that a plan of action is a good idea so you can maintain the integrity of the surface. For example, you don't want to pile on the paint, collage materials, and more on a single flimsy piece of paper. Make sure you start with a surface that will hold up to all that you want to do to it.


	Double Pyramid by David Huffman, 2009, mixed media on canvas, 72 x 60.

In the spirit of mixing media, the editors of American Artist have created several new eBooks that have just come available. To be sure the first one that caught my eye was Create Dynamic Paintings with Mixed Media. It is just up my alley in terms of scope and the freedom to play with different media in one work. Enjoy!

Being a Copy Cat Is a Good Thing

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:32:00 GMT

It's funny when you think about it but the art world is built on copying. However, unlike plagiarism in journalism or literature, copying master drawings is something many artists have incorporate into their studies for centuries because it is an excellent way to study and evaluate incredible artwork. It was a widespread method during the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and allows artists now and then to demonstrate their growing ability to draw and render, or to create an homage honoring a revered artistic.


		Kneeling Female in Orange-Red Dress by Egon Schiele, mixed media drawing, 1910.

When you think about it, getting drawing lessons from the masters in this way is a bit of a luxury. All the works are laid out and front of you and all you have to do is observe. There's no pressing timetable or hoops to jump through. You can focus on drawing techniques that they used and work through their work process as a drawing exercise to hone your own skills.

If you are interested in creating a line drawing or contour drawing after a master, it will be good to remember a few things. First, make a copy of a drawing in the style you like. It seems like you don't want to pick Rembrandt if Schiele is more your style. Go with what you are drawn to aesthetically. After all, you're going to be giving the image a lot of attention.

You'll also want to get a good quality image to work from. Sometimes that can be from an exhibition catalog, or you might be able to find a poster-size reproduction of the work. Just look for good tones and a clear representation of detail and gradation. You may also want to tone your paper in the style of the Old Masters. They rarely had pure white paper, so go with a surface that has a bit of neutral color on it.


Der Trunkene Lot by Rembrandt, 1630/31, drawing with black chalk.

Copying master drawings is an enjoyable and rewarding way to improve drawing skills. Right now, Drawing: The Complete Course is being offered for $5 off through Zinio, which is a great way to get your hands on an amazing resource that delves into Old Master instruction, top drawing tips, interesting practitioners, and more. If, after looking through the guide, you find yourself wanting to recreate a master drawing you see, don't question the artistic urge because I felt the same way! So get copying and enjoy!

It Means Never Having to Say ‘No’

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:44:00 GMT

One of my first self-assigned duties at Artist Daily was to get out in the local American art community and see the kind of work that is being made all over the country, what kind of art techniques are gaining in popularity, and how artists are communicating with each other—building networks of art online, participating in art competitions together, and sharing art critiques and art tips in person and over the web. And I have to tell you that this is what I love to do the most—because what I find never gets old and I never see the same thing twice!

This has always been true when I look at the artistic output of those working in mixed media, especially encaustic, which has come on my radar in a pretty strong way over the past two years.

The Crossing by Lauren MacLeod, 2010, encaustic painting,
11.5 x 11.5. The works shown here are not featured in
The Encaustic Studio by Daniella Woolf.

Mostly I have been struck again and again at how this one medium can be a gateway to so many different kinds of work and allows for the use of so many different complementary media. With encaustic, 'no' just isn't in the vocabulary. It is always 'Yes, try it!' And that is exciting prospect when an artist is finding his or her way, or trying for a breakthrough.

Encaustic allows you to work figuratively, abstractly, ornamentally, and even sculpturally. You can combine it with oil painting, printmaking, and collage. It can be used to explore texture and a built-up surface, or it can end up looking almost as smooth and polished as glass. The works featured here are some of my favorites. In and of themselves they are radically different, but they all are created using the same essentials of encaustic.


Vanish Into the Vast Sea by Linda Womack, 2010, encaustic mixed media painting, 12 x 12.			Spring Begins by Paula Stark, 2010, encaustic painting, 20 x 18.

What I respond to more than anything with encaustic is that there is a process involved. The steps you take can get the creative juices flowing because you can add a new element and end up with something that sends you off in an entirely different direction or you can just sink into the steps and let your mind check out, so you can just respond visually to what is going on in front of you.

That kind of artistic transportation is a gift. I know I certainly appreciate checking out now and again and just enjoy making art as a way of using my hands and my eyes, and not necessarily my intellect. The Encaustic Studio is an entire wax and mixed media workshop in a book-DVD package from artist, Daniella Woolf, whose works illustrate the entire book. There are techniques galore and the versatility of encaustic really shines through. It may spark a whole new wave of artistic excitement in you. Enjoy!

He’s So Freakin’ Formal!

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:13:00 GMT


Yellow Pen by Nat Meade, oil on linen, 24 x 20, 2011.

Focusing on formal concerns in art does not make an artist uptight or unimaginative. Quite the opposite actually—pursuing matters of pattern, line, space, and color can prove to jumpstart free-thinking and expression for a painter or draftsman. That's certainly the case with Nat Meade.

Often using a combination of gouache, oil painting, collage, and watercolor to create curious and untraditional mixed media art, Meade tells obscure stories that have little to do with what is real, and yet they engage viewers in a strong way. For one, viewers get to think what they want to think. The artist isn't forcing his ideas on us. In fact, Meade's "voice" is somewhat muffled in his paintings—you get an impression or sense of emotional direction, but you have to do the rest of the work yourself.

Yet I'm more interested in how Meade visually tells his stories than what those stories could be. And even as I type that I am a little amazed at myself because I really honor narrative in art. I think it is one of the highest forms of communication, but Meade is a master at making what he does waaaaaaaay cooler than what he's trying to say (or not).

Take Yellow Pen or Lamplight. Both of these are works that I spent a lot of time just staring at. My mind went through a lot of ideas and feelings, but what kept me in front of them long after my narrative imagination petered out was how interesting the elements come together in them. In Yellow Pen, the right angles and straight lines of the light, its shadow, and the edges of the doorway contrast with and are simultaneously softened by the organic outline of the figure's head and shoulder.


	Lamplight by Nat Meade.

In Lamplight, the arcing pool of light from the lamp creates a gorgeous, simple curve of shadow on the wall. And that curve is slightly altered and subtly mimicked throughout the work—in the lamp shape itself, in the female figure's shoulders, and in the folds of her skirt—so that there's a visual cascade of forms throughout the work.

Because Meade is not concerned with representation as an end in and of itself, he is able to visually express himself in a very strong way. He is following his own trajectory as an artist and that's the kind of passion and commitment I find inspiring. If you want to read more about Meade—and about so many other artists with unique processes and methods of working—think about gifting yourself with a subscription to Watercolor magazine. You'll find it all there! Enjoy!