Mixed Media Art Classes with Linda Dias are coming to Cape Cod!

I've been doing quite a bit of painting this winter! Now that it's spring I'm ready to share my work with you. The painting you see here was completed for a special project happening soon. My colleague, Michele Sheridan, and I are very excited to launch our first May I Be Me Yoga series-providing accessible yoga to individuals with special needs. It begins May 2nd in the Upper Cape area and will follow with a Lower Cape series this summer!

So what does that have to do with painting? Well, the painting you see here was inspired by our vision for May I Be Me Yoga. The name, May I Be Me, is the last line of a Metta or Kindness meditation. It goes like this: "May I Be Happy, May I Be Free, May I Be at Peace, May I Be ME". As an artist, I continually strive to "be ME." As yoga teachers, we wanted our students to be able to do the same-be themselves in their practice.  We decided to use this painting to create art note cards- putting the proceeds toward keeping class tuition reasonable. In addition to keeping class cost down, we understood the importance of keeping the class attendance numbers low in order to better meet individual needs. 

Getting back to painting...this painting. The technique I used involved layers of stamping, dripping, spraying, stenciling, decoupage and just plain using my hands!! Take a closer look- see a Lilly? This flower was part of an art card my husband made from one of his paintings-and it took a little trip! He gave a box of his cards to a friend, who used one as a birthday card for ME years ago... I dug it out and imbedded the image into this painting. Mixed media painting allows the artist to use what’s at hand-stashes of cards, ribbons, pictures, scraps of wrapping paper - you name it! Mixed media texturing techniques use common household items such as bubble wrap, drawer liner...even Yankee Candle lids!! Did I mention that I used my hands rather than a brush? Whaaaat?? So take another look - look at the colors…texture…winged creatures…drippy tree branches and bubbly circles of different hues. 

Interested in learning more about multimedia art? Or maybe you’re curious and want to give it a try? I'll be offering a mixed media class right here on Cape Cod in May. The location, dates and time are just about firmed up. As soon as I know, I’ll post the information on my website. If you stay tuned, I'll be posting paintings "in process" so you can see the evolution and finished product. Until then, give the Kindness meditation a whirl: "May I be happy, May I be free, May I be at Peace, May I Be ME! 
xoxo 
Linda
the mindful painter:)