Growing Pains detail

Growing Pains detail Mixed media on wood 16 in. x 20 in. 2021
My work is a series of mixed media pieces that display the importance of personal growth and climbing up from rock bottom. The series is a combination of acrylic paint, encaustic, wood burning and 120mm film photography. The photographs exhibit a gradual opening up, positioning the body to capture emotion and a transformation from small and isolated to big and powerful. Each piece is painted on a wood canvas and includes several layers of paint along with etched words and dripped wax. The photograph on top is adhered to the canvas using photo transfer paper, where the image slides off of its backing and onto a layer of acrylic medium resulting in a more transparent image. My goal was to create a cohesiveness between the realism of the photography and the abstraction of the painted canvas, bringing a two dimensional photograph to life by surrounding it with layered and textured backgrounds.