Red Deer artist Evelyn Mitchell recently taught staff and clients of the Mustard Seed how to create unique splat paintings.
Mitchell found her unique style of painting a number of years ago while enroled in a painting class — her father passed away, which led to her using art as a way to work through the emotions she was feeling.
"A project I was working on at the time was called 'Famous Moons.' Essentially I would put a famous person in the moon of a painting. I would do splats of the stars and stuff," Mitchell recalled.
"I never had a chance to do that project because I was struggling to deal with everything. Instead I ended up grabbing objects, dipping them in paint and throwing them at the canvas. That's how I found splat painting."
Mitchell uses regular paints and glow-in-the-dark paints so she can work with both light and colour. She also uses different objects to create different types of splats on the canvas.
"I could whack with the object, which is a side-to-side motion, or I could hack with it, which is an up-and-down motion. I could huck it, meaning you just throw it, or I could splat it, where I would have my canvas on the floor and I would drop the object in certain areas," she explained.
"When you whack, hack, huck and splat you can intentionally put colour into a certain spot, but because you're using random objects and it's done this way, the splat can't be replicated. It results in a very unique and original art piece that can't be replicated whatsoever."
Mitchell has displayed her splat art at various events in Central Alberta over the years, including through a gallery exhibit and the Red Deer Public Market. She was invited to host a session at the Mustard Seed to teach people how to create splat art.
"When December ends, a lot of these beautiful people at the Mustard Seed get depressed again. (The nonprofit organization) wanted to do something to give them a bit of happiness again," said Mitchell.
"I played music for each person – whatever music they wanted to hear. Then they'd grab any object they want to use, pick the colours they want to use, and decide if they want to whack, hack, huck or splat their paint against the canvas. ... Each art piece is something that only the artist can create. It represents them and it helps because they're able to get out energy. It's a very emotional piece for a lot of people.
"When I was going through what I was going through after my father passed away, I needed to get that frustration out. You can look at a finished piece that you've created through your energy and emotions, and you can take that with you. You can see how you were feeling and how you expressed your emotions at the time."
Mitchell will return to the Mustard Seed for another splat art session this summer.
People or organizations interested in hosting a splat art session are asked to contact Mitchell via email, at elmexpressionsandproductions@gmail.com.
