~*~ Mixed Media May ~*~ Melanie Douthit ~*~

What does mixed-media art mean to you?

Until I started combining mediums, I didn’t know the joy of mixed media. I’ve worked in oil, watercolor and acrylics, but it wasn’t until I started working in the paper craft industry that I started mixing things together. So now, it can mean working on reclaimed lumber with paint, and adding paint, paper, glass or even fibers. I’m wide open to possibilities.

How long have you been a mixed-media artist?

I started “mixing things up” about four years ago. I once had a friend encourage me to put real wood on the shutters of some painting I created about 8 years ago, but I wasn’t that into it, even though I experimented.

How has your art impacted or enhanced your life?

Art has always been a part of my life. I’ve been able to teach and meet more people through whatever medium I’m using, whether it’s paper crafts, watercolor, or acrylic. I’ve come full circle and now that I’m working full-time in my studio again, I’m flooded with new ideas and can’t seem to get them down fast enough. The positive feedback I get from people is unbelievable. I have finally realized that my art CAN affect people for the better. Knowing that something that gives me pleasure actually gives other people pleasure and happiness is still hard to comprehend. I hope every artists finds that comfy spot in their lives.

What are a few of the mixed-media supplies you find yourself using most?

I love using paper and fibers. I have a large stash of scrapbook supplies and love using alphabets and rub ons in unexpected places. Scraps of fibers such as jute and burlap are also fun to use. I recently dropped a colored glass container and while I was sweeping it up, I decided to save it. I used it in a painting!

Who are some of your favorite mixed-media artists?

My biggest influence is Kelly Rae Roberts. She inspired me to venture into combining my paper craft stash with my art. The next influence is Christy Tomlinson. I used to subscribe to her Scarlet Lime scrapbook kit. She recently started a mixed media kit and has some online videos for mixing it up. I can watch just one video and then I’m off in the zone doing my own thing – just from the jumpstart.

What makes your mixed-media art unique?

I hope my art is unique. I don’t want my art to be like anyone else’s. I try to NOT look too much at other people’s art when I’m working. If I do, I look at color combinations or technique rather than composition for inspiration. I keep a notebook and sketch off ideas before putting them on canvas. I’m not afraid to try something different and quirkly – and that has worked in my favor. Daring to live on the edge with my creativity has never been more fun. I hope it shows.

Thank you for asking me to be participate in your blog feature.

Where can we find you?

www.melaniedouthit.com
www.douthitgallery.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Douthit-Art-Studio/125885830792738

About Melanie Douthit: Melanie is a full-time artist and freelance craft designer. Her paintings are included in private collections across the United States and in Canada, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom and Greece. She is the creator of the Mardi Gras Dachshund which hangs in Mimi’s Restaurant chains across the nation. Her creativity merged into the paper craft industry in 2004, and since then her creations have been published in national craft consumer magazines. Melanie works in acrylic and mixed media, and has enjoyed blending her paper crafting with her paintings to create unique mixed media collages. Her work reflects things she loves: flowers, animals, nature and New Orleans. Melanie resides with her husband and children in West Monroe, Louisiana where she is a juried member of the Ouachita River Art Gallery, a co-op run gallery. Her work can also be found in the Great Artists’ Collective Gallery in New Orleans.