Michael Motorcycle #1

Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. In my heart, I am an artist who is compelled to tell a story. The storyline will often become apparent only once I have begun developing an image. But there are common themes throughout the images. These themes include the use or misuse of power, the human environment, and love. The theme of love and romance is a common subject in my art. As long as I can remember, I have wanted to live with someone whose heart compliments my passion for romance. I find it wonderful that my partner feels this way too. Power and the exploitation of the defenseless are also frequent themes in my stories. As a survivor of child abuse, I am haunted by the circumstances that create monstrous abuses of power. I also regularly use the image of blood in my art. It usually represents grief or a life force. Sometimes both. I think about the planet and the way our civilization uses its resources. This concern is exhibited in my art through images of wilderness, cityscapes, progress, nature, and technology. I hope humans will learn from the mistakes resulting from the industrial era, and I look forward to the advances of technology in light of learning from The Cotton Candy Machine is a fine art archival print publisher and online gallery for select contemporary artists, founded by Tara McPherson and Sean Leonard in 2011. It serves as the official online print store for Tara McPherson, as well as doing special events and pop ups across the globe. All of our archival pigment prints are produced right here in our studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We print on the highest quality etching and watercolor papers made in France, Germany and the USA. Our serigraphs and UV prints are produced in collaboration with a variety of talented screen printers and print houses around the US as well. We began as a storefront gallery and art boutique from 2011 to 2016 in a former fire station in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. The Cotton Candy Machine held a variety of art exhibitions, workshops, and events by a plethora of contemporary artists, curated by Tara McPherson. It then transitioned into a thriving online store and print publisher in 2017, serving as Tara McPherson's official print shop, publishing archival fine art editions, selling limited edition art prints, posters, apparel, books, toys and more. All the while holding onto its roots