J Binford-Bell (#15)

Working in mixed media, I translate my connection with New Mexico, and the inter-mountain west to enchant the viewer. My work is the visionary expression of the landscape in fauve colors which delight the senses and excite the emotions. Photography was first an extension of my painting and is now an equal companion.

As a  fine arts graduate of the University of New Mexico, I have worked in a variety of mediums from fiber to watercolor. And now photography. Mixed media is my current love. I am willing to use anything at hand to help me convey the mood of the scene I am transferring to the two dimensional surface.  Photography is an important part of my creative process because it is often where a painting begins.

Originally trained in classical watercolor technique I began to play around with the rules following a head injury in 2001. Before that I made and marketed across the country colorful Mardi Gras masks out of papier mache. I wanted to use the same brilliance of color in paintings, so I began experimenting with products until I found liquid watercolors and inks. I explored the Chinese techniques of underlaying a watercolor with water proof India inks to get deeper tones. After transferring my design to stretched canvas, I will lay in areas of ink and masking before pour the skies with liquid watercolor. How the sky turns out determines the mood of the rest of the painting.