Mixed Media - Getting the Message

"From Campfires to Rocket Fuel"
20 x 16"
Mixed Media

Art is a process and a journey. It leads us to explore and question and probe. The best advice I ever received was from a colleague, Jason Archer, who upon hearing me complain that I didn't have enough money to produce an exhibition, pointed out that it didn't take money to create art but it did require a lot of thought and a fresh perspective. He pointed to paintings created on cardboard, paper collages with string and glue. But his best advice was to take an image I had created (and loved) and reproduce it in many other mediums. This inspired me to render many photographic portraits and still life's in oil, acrylic, mixed media, ink and pencil.

Dabbling in mixed media over the years has provided me with an alternative format in which to explore a different way of conveying an idea or a message. I see these images as illustrations. They would fit nicely in an article on the quality of our food or a discussion on the archetype of the American Cowboy. This particular painting above, "From Campfires to Rocket Fuel", was created based on an idea presented by Sunny Buick for the group show "Sci-Fi Western"and was exhibited in 2003 in San Francisco at the 111 Minna Street Gallery. Combining the genres of Sci-fi and Western motifs was fun for everyone involved and provided us with ample symbology and cultural content to draw from.

"The 4 Food Groups"

Acrylic on Canvas

36 x 36"

When I moved down to Los Angeles in 1999, I joined the Angeleus Matchcover Club. OK, you may think I'm geeking out here but I have to tell you, I met thee most interesting mid-century illustrators who were members, several who had even worked side by side with Alberto Vargas! I really enjoyed going to their meetings. Everyone was so enthusiastic and dedicated to match cover collecting. At the time, I had over 3,000 covers. My membership only lasted a year but it was wonderful to hear the stories told of the ad agencies and prices people were paid for the art they created back in the 50's and 60's.

"Easy Street"

Acrylic on Canvas with Puzzle Piece

60 x 37 1/4"

Out of that experience, I produced two canvases: "The 4 Food Groups" and "Easy Street". I shot slides of these match covers and projected them onto canvases, cropping to the image but leaving a hint of their origins by including the copyright which wasn't always right side up. Often times it would take viewers awhile to discover that it was indeed a match cover. There is a sense of excitement when one finally realises the intent and perspecitve in an image. Enlarging these graphics, which were usually seen at a small scale, added to their interest for me. I created these paintings in 2000. In 2003, I went to the Andy Warhol Retrospective at Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles. Boy, did I have a giggle when hanging in front of my eyes was an image I had never seen before. There hung a large scale image of a match cover created by Andy in 1962 titled "Close Cover Before Striking", a mixed media piece in acrylic, letraset and sandpaper on canvas. I knew I was on the right track...

"Old Soak"
20 x 16"
Mixed Media

My collection of mid-century greeting cards is substantial, growing out of my continual shopping at thrift stores since the 80's and my love of all things paper. I have scanned many of them and applied a few of them to mixed media paintings. "Old Soak" contains two of my favorite combinations in illustrations from this time period: figures in black outline, coupled with tipsy old men. The only tipsy woman I ever remember seeing illustrated was "Femlin" drawn by LeRoy Neiman for Playboy magazine. I grew up when it was still legal for alcohol and beer companies to advertise on television and in print. It was all very mysterious to me why only adults could drink their products, since everyone looked like they were having so much fun!

"High Score"

Acrylic on Canvas 

30 x 24"

I cannot do a blog on sign painting, mixed media and advertisement illustrations with out talking about one of my all time favorite illustrators: Mary Blair.  Her color sensibility was unparalleled and in her advertising work, a joyful childlike energy filled the page. Once again the heavy black out line but this time without the booze...  I recently visted The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco (thanks to a suggestion from my friend. the incredible artist, illustrator and designer Darren Wong from Fresh Squeezed Design), and was delighted to see her original desk, paints and brushes along with many incredible storyboards in gouache she did for Disney's "Alice in Wonderland", "Peter Pan" and "Cinderella". I especially remembered her work from "Cinderella", as I had actually replicated one of her images as a back drop for a homecoming float in high school - no joke!

Mary inspired me to make my most recent mixed media illustration for my daughter's nursery.
This time I reached back into one of my most memorable childhood experiences. I was in pre-school and had somehow won a prize for drawing something. The prize was a crackerjack pinball game, you know the kind that came wrapped in the white and red striped paper to protect it from the gooey caramel covered popcorn and peanuts?  To this day, the color palate of that small toy reminds me of the joy I received in winning something for the first time. So I decided to render it in Acrylic for my daughter so that she too could have a fond memory of that beautiful blue hue and the colorful red and yellow butterflies being chased by a sweet and gentle brown bunny.

Julie Pavlowski Green
April 13, 2013