Mixed Media Art | Fine Art Mosaics | Toomey -Tourell | Gumps

About Joni West's Mixed Media Art

Joni West
Artist Statement

I use modern mixed media to create flowing sensual shapes that evoke a sense of nature and biology. The art often causes the viewer to imagine they have "zoomed in on" or "zoomed back from" a subject. This art work is both a complete joy and a tremendous challenge. Working primarily with epoxy resin as a viscous base, I create formulas with special pigments, powders and dyes. I work more like a chef who uses no recipes than a scientist who measures each element. Upon a wooden foundation, I pour, prod and wrangle the mixed media into the composition I desire.

The technique is not an easy one to control. Timing is a critical element in the creation of this art. For example, a brilliant red may begin the curing process in five minutes, yet it may take 24 hours for a copper formula to fully cure. The more viscous formulas may continue to spread while other media mixes are fixing in place. This has a dramatic effect on the ultimate finished work of art. The challenge comes in seeing what colors and forms I am able to initiate with the media. It is tremendously satisfying to watch a piece begin to take shape through the fluidity of the liquid medium and then become a solid and tactile object. The process feels like dabbling in alchemy. To me, the magic of each piece is found in the shapes, intense colors, and dimensions I am able to present to the viewer as well as the feelings they evoke. The partnership of artist and viewer is the determining factor in the final perception of each piece. I like to leave my art wide open for interpretation and contemplation.

Joni West is represented by the Toomey-Tourell Gallery located at 49 Geary Street in San Francisco, California. The emphasis of the aesthetic of the gallery is the investigation of modern techniques that define mixed media, painting, sculpture and photography.

To purchase or inquire further about Joni West's mixed media art, please contact Nancy Toomey or Stephen Tourell of the Toomey-Tourell Gallery at 49 Geary Street in San Francisco, California.

You can visit their site at www.toomey-tourell.com. To contact the gallery for more information, phone: 415-989-6444 or email: nancy@toomey-tourell.com.