Mixed Memories
Then to Now through Mixed Media
October 17th 2021 - November 26th 2021
Mixedmedia art allows us to explore different mediums while also unifying them. It gives us a chance to reshape traditional lenses that separate art. Art has always been a way to create new and old in the same space while also giving introspection into our lives and experiences. Right now as we come into a new world, with new social change, new guidelines in our day to day lives and new minds there is a heightened importance in being aware of the journey we take, the challenges we face along the way and the choices we make.
We are all products of our past and present, who we are today could not be if it were not for our past selves. New and old don’t exist as two opposites but as parts of a whole experience. Art imitates life and our lives happen in different phases and looks all in one - mixed media art imitates that same mix that exists in life.
At OCA Mocha, we’re invested in sharing different stories and perspectives from the community. After this past year’s multitudes of conflict, we held space for people to reflect back on times past and look forward together to our collective futures. Works that show the new and old, whether it be a recreation of memories or a projection into the future, we want to share the timeline that has shaped you.
- Curated by Alexis Tyson, Graphic Design UMBC 2024
Maurice ‘CRWNLEAK’ McCrimmon
KINGPIN, 72” by 74”
KINGPIN is about everything coming to a head, through transformations in self eventually all that energy exalts and is released and turned into something else ‘KINGPIN’ felt like that exaltation, the peaking of a trip and everything I once knew was swallowed by the moment and what was represented of that moment was the painting that stood before me which to me was like a trophy, or a congratulations, the holy grail I had been chasing all this time and a doorway into a whole new world inside of me.
Grace Wojehowski
Tj’s Masks, 17.5” by 17.5”
I connect with this piece because it is my dad, and I made it as part of a series about masking emotions. Which I can relate too and I like a lot of other people can also relate to.
Julissa Gómez Ruvalcaba
My father, the man I love, 18” by 24”
Golden Leaves I mistook for Yellow, 18” by 24”
All of my pieces tell a story about a portion of my life. "My dear father, the man I love" is a sentimental ode to my father who in his own funky way, through inviting me to watch old black & white Mexican movies, telling stories about his chickens, and asking the question, "How's the weather down there" passed on his wisdom of what it means to live. "Golden leaves that I mistook for yellow" is a nostalgic piece as I reminisce about my time in China and connect it to my current spot in Baltimore. Similar to, "My dear father, the man I love" China, the country, the culture, and the people, taught me valuable lessons I still follow to this day.
Jaylan ‘INTRNL’ Hall
Whitesky Orangesnow, 6” by 12”
Figment 001, 6” by 12”
Figment 002, 6” by 12”
The fine details and pieces of a memory are often fuzzy, abstract, and sometimes surreal. However, the feature of a memory that we always pay the most attention to is the feeling. Captured in each of these pieces are the feelings of random memories of mine, in their abstract, natural form.
Anthony Graham
Blue Problems, 16” by 20”
7pm, 30” by 40”
This piece was one of my quickest and most spontaneous pieces . I was just coming into the mindset of a painter and had released a few works and had my first show. During that show I was offered to do a live painting and interview at the time I was less social than I am now so my anxiety lead me to not paint how I usually do and step out of my abstract boundaries of gravitating towards faces which is my favorite thing to create on a canvas I noticed it was 7pm and the sunset had a nice hue so I decided to try abstract landscaping and starting painting strokes of oranges and reads incorporating greens because at the time I lived near a lot of trees.
This piece I painted while listening to a lot of Miles Davis and other various jazz artist it doesn't really have a concrete storyline it strictly one of my more emotion driven abstract pieces I paint with no real thought moving the brush wherever my instincts take me. I do know at the time I was writing a lot of poetry so I incorporated that into 3 pieces and this is one of them a freestyle on ambition and my battle with procrastination the two faces represent me confused with myself .
Jessie Houff
She Is Love, 12” by 12”
A huge part of who I am is reflected in She is Love. I drew inspiration from the women in my family who cross-stitch, knit, and crochet. Using yarn from my grandmother's collection, I created a piece that represents a part of me. I am a part of the LGTBQ+ community and have grown into who I am today. All my past experiences brought me here, the good and the bad, and I could not be more grateful.
Byanca Morales Cabrera
Las Traviesos, 24” by 15”
Brotherhood, 11” by 8.5”
The Seamstress, 9” by 9.5”
Nathaniel ‘Nacir’ Shelton
Frankenstein’s Jesus, 6’ by 5.4’’
My connection to “Frankenstein’s Jesus” comes from my growing up in/observing religious spaces. The piece was created from my own feelings and thoughts, on what I felt was others building their own Christ figures in whatever way that best suited them and their narratives.
Rebecca Rubenstein
Mom’s Ann, 9” by 11”
Seasons Cirlces, 9.5” by 9.5”
They both represent important creative moments in my growth as an artist.
Morna McDermott McNulty
Inward Trajectory, 12” by 15” by 4”
“Inward Trajectory” is a work of memory that speaks to the dreamlike experience of reconstruction, an “assemblage” of our past, present and future possibilities. Each segment of the work is like a site of excavation for the imagination, each telling stories that interconnect with the viewers own interpretation, inviting a process of renegotiation of the memories themselves. The photos inside the piece were all taken by me at different places and moments in my life. The four quadrants are each their own story about a time and place meaningful to me but more importantly I hope connect to the storied experiences of the viewers.
Malachi Miller
Sunset, 8” by 4”
Wilted, 4” by 8”
My connection to these pieces would be the rough times that led me to create them.
Jack Trimper
Norman, 12” by 22” by 4.5”
Helen, 35” by 30” by 3”
Herman, 11” by 23” by 6”
I consider myself an "assemblagist" in several mediums.
These pieces from the larger series are composed of remnants of things that have occurred in my life. Some elements are more evocative and carry specific memories of people and projects.Wooden objects are indicatory of my body of work, as is the brass that joins. And cans. In my endeavors, artfully, I tend to emphasize the use of what I have. Gesso, fasteners, and screws serve as the vehicle for assembly.
Additionally, I had a career fostering young people with opportunities to communicate with words and/or images. Some of my best work was transitory and forgotten.
I believe my own work has been influenced by students and spontaneity.