Mixed media on panel
14 x 11
Introducing the Joni series! This series is an exploration of the iconic musician, Joni Mitchell, created through a unique fusion of painting, drawing, and printmaking techniques.
The combination of a street art and pop art screenprint aesthetic reflects Keitha’s interest in working at the intersection of both disciplines, while also attempting to capture the essence of Mitchell’s creative spirit. The graffiti and spray paint elements speak to the rebellious nature of Mitchell’s lyrics, while the use of stencils/pochoir techniques and multiple layers from printmaking reflect the depth and complexity of her music and persona.
Stencils are used widely in silkscreening and pochoir printmaking techniques, as well as by street artists. Renowned street artist Blek le Rat, considered the father of stencil graffiti, was a pioneer of the stencil, and the artist Banksy brought worldwide attention to stencil art, which is now used by street artists all over the world.
Pop art is known for its use of bright colours, bold designs, the merging of fine art with popular cultural idols or objects, and repetition through techniques such as silk screening, a process whereby ink is transferred onto paper through a meshed screen with a stencil. They generally used images from popular culture, which is where the genre derived its name. Pop artists often blended materials and used a variety of types of media.
Keitha’s love of the street art and pop art aesthetic and of pochoir printmaking make stencils a natural tool in her toolkit. All of her stencils are hand-cut, and she enjoys working with the interplay between flatness and volume that can be created from a good stencil design. When used in combination with traditional drawing and painting techniques and mixed media, the explorations are endless.
The result is a series of five unique portraits of Joni Mitchell that are at the intersection of painting and printmaking, and are a celebration of the creative process itself.
Joni Mitchell was born in Alberta, moved to Saskatoon when she was 9, and has referred to Saskatoon as her hometown. She was recently in Washington to accept the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and headlined a tribute concert that was filmed by PBS.