Carnival On Bienville Mixed Media Collage

We are in the prime of Mardi Gras season here in Mobile, the actual birthplace of Mardi Gras, and our city is celebrating carnival to the hilt. I attended my first parade in over 15 years the other night  with my dear friends Gayle, Mary Elizabeth, and Lydia, as well as meet some great new friends I am excited to build memories with. We held camp at Art(ology), the gallery which I am a partner in, and it was the perfect hub four us considering it is in the heart of downtown. As we walked to the parade I became captivated by all the colors, patterns, and light between the glowing buildings and the outrageous floats. It was a plethora of ambiance for my eye candy fix and I loved it!

Crew of Columbus

Today, down at Art(ology), I watched the streets fill with folks and the excitement build in anticipation of all the parades and it all inspired my spirit to paint. Lately, I have been combing my love of collage with mixed media layers and graphite, which sends me over the moon! I think it is the mark making that connects me with my primal, artistic roots or something, and when I start to layer, I go totally zen.

Capturing the life, the spirit, the excitement of Mardi Gras was my goal for this piece, not in a realistic sense but in an abstract explosion of color and line. My collage pieces set the tone and I worked at recalling the myriad of emotions my city, friends, and carnival brings to me.

Here is "Carnival on Bienville" 20" by 20" on board,  and I think I nailed it with my intent for this piece of artwork. If you have never attended Mardi Gras before, I highly encourage you to make a date for next year in Mobile. It is not as congested as New Orleans and we catch and eat Moon Pies here, who can beat that?

First Layers

"Carnival on Bienville" 20" by 20" mixed media collage on board