2D Mixed Media
Tuscaloosa, AL
pennydobson.com
A short film by Layla Khan-Hickman (IG: @afilmbylayla)
“I have known I was an artist since I was 10. I knew I wanted to have a career in art, but didn’t know what It would be until I entered high school. My art teacher in the 9th grade inspired me to be a teacher. I was a full time artist and teacher until I retired from teaching in 2020 and moved to Alabama.
I’ve been making art and taking it to art shows for almost 29 years now. I am considered a mixed media artist because I don’t use just one medium. I always use oils, however. I also use seed beads, gold leaf, alcohol ink, and handmade papers. I paint only animals, flowers, and birds because this is what I would I want to hang in my house. What I paint is determined by my frame or object on which I am going to paint.
A few years ago I found a twin bell alarm clock in an antique mall, and thought it was adorable. So I decided to paint on it. My obsession for vintage items grew from there. I’m particularly fond of things from the 70’s. Five years ago, I started making my own frames, but sometimes I use dresser mirrors as well.
One of my techniques involves placing seed beads one at a time into resin. This technique has evolved over the years. It began because I had bought a bunch of beads to make lanyards that I never made. One day I looked at the beads and had the thought to use them in my backgrounds. I am familiar with the Huichols who also use seed beads. This was not what gave me the idea. Before the seed beads, I would place small dots of paint in my backgrounds in the same patterns I now place the beads.
The gold leaf came about in a similar manner. I had bought a bunch of it to use in my mixed media backgrounds. Yet another thing I had too much of around. I very much love Medieval art with their use of gold. So, it was natural that I should try this as well. People ask me all the time what made me decide to paint on the strange things I paint on. I’ve thought about it, and I think I know the answer. I taught in a poor county. Having little funding for supplies made me look at things differently. I was always trying to supplement my supplies with whatever I could find. So, I think it comes naturally to see everything as a possibility for art.
I complete my art with a 1970’s penny. This is when I was born. No, I do not look through all of my pennies. You can find them on ebay in rolls, but they are now worth more than 1 cent. I like the penny better than a signature. I just have never liked signing the front of my work. Maybe it is because I have bad handwriting. I do, nevertheless, sign it on the back.
I married my 9th grade art teacher later in life. We have been married 28 years now. We were married by Howard Finster, the famous folk artist. One Sunday, we went to Paradise Gardens knowing he would be in the gift shop preaching/talking. He was being interviewed by some college kids. Johnnie asked him if he ever felt like marrying anyone. He said that he never did, but if he had a license and a woman who would marry him, he would.”
Instagram: @pennydobsonart
Check out Penny Dobson’s Featured Artist announcement Blog post.
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