Top 50 Mixed Media Artists You Need to Know About (And Their Iconic Work)

Every few months, Art Post artists unite to create an original piece of artwork - celebrating iconic masterpieces and our wonderful city of Sheffield. Each piece created by the collective is showcased on the limited edition Sheffield Art Totes.

Edinburgh based artist who specialises in semi abstract flowers and collage landscapes. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Gustav Klimt and her love of flower gardens and countryside, Pamela creates complex and exuberant works using vibrant colour and golden accents. Her works are full of movement and her use of pattern and collage invite close inspection to fully appreciate the details and textures involved. Pamela exhibits her work on a regular basis and has works on private collections across the United Kingdom as well as in Brussels, Los Angeles and New Zealand.

Linda Harvey has been creating textile artwork since the age of 16, inspiring her to complete a degree in surface print and fashion. She has been teaching textiles and art for the past 25 years alongside producing her own creations. The inspiration for her work mainly comes from the places she visits. She takes photographs of anything that catches her eye as she likes to capture a moment instantly. Linda’s photographs give her a starting point from which her work evolves. Linda will often work on several pieces at a time as she enjoys an expressive and experimental way of working. Her work tends to be quite abstract, using many textiles techniques to create her art. While she uses a variety of materials and processes in each project, her approach is consistent. Linda is particularly inspired by rustic textures, the ageing process and anything corroded and tarnished; colour and texture are the key elements in her work. Linda is a member of SEW (The Society for Embroidered Work) and York Textile Artists.

Christopher is a self taught emerging artist currently near in the city of Bath, painting expressive and vibrant landscapes that draw from the locale's sense of place. Chris's paintings have been exhibited around Bath, Bristol and Cornwall, where he also continues to explore for inspiration to develop his paintings. Working as an Architect full time and painting with whatever spare time he can find, Chris' work is rooted between detail and abstraction. The paintings explore a range of the environments we inhabit, from cityscapes and their contrasting architectural puzzles to coastal seascapes and the wild and unpredictable forms they take. The use of mixed media including acrylic, oil pastels and fine line pen encourage both his architectural and artistic sensibilities to paint detail surrounded by abstraction and expression. These are key aspects of his work creating unpredictable, unique and playful compositions.

Nerissa’s work investigates change over time, not just eroding or decaying but new layers of growth, giving juxtapositions of structure and colour. Recent work highlights the issue of plastic pollution and the permanence of disposables through sculptures that combine embellished textiles and cement cast in plastic waste, inviting us to consider the packaging that we use and discard on a daily basis; objects that are so lightweight and seem so insignificant that we barely notice them. The concrete gives a sense of the legacy of this waste and the naturally inspired textures emphasise the way it becomes subsumed into the natural world around us. She creates coastal inspired textures using a combination of embellishing and embroidery; blending a variety of recycled fabrics to create subtle variations in tone. These are stitched inside waste plastic to cast true to life pieces with the concrete giving a distinct contrast between the manmade structure of the packaging and the soft natural textures of the textiles.

I love learning new methods of working. From 1970 – 1993 I worked mainly in Collage and Enamel. During my MA studies 1973 -75, I began using mixed media and work became more abstract, looking at themes like erosion and change. I work in series to explore subject matter and often there is an underlying theme of memento mori. In 2013, moving to a more urban environment I discovered Wabi Sabi, the Japanese philosophy of accepting nothing stays the same and finding beauty in the imperfect. Subjects from world events from fake news, to covid crept into my subject matter in the pastel and collage images I made last year. I am presently working on the theme of borders between sky, land, and water. I am seeking to explore the Humber from Hessle near the Humber Bridge, where I live and the landscape and industries along its banks to Spurn Point and the seashore villages and towns along the eroding coast. Recording my present location seems important in the light of climate change at risk from flooding and coastal erosion. Changing industries chart its history from the prehistoric to present times. wartime defences still exist in the fortresses in the Humber itself and the remains of tank traps at spurn Point. I hope to explore it all in relevant media and present it in such a way it becomes a journey. It will probably be the last project in my artistic life but presents me with an exciting challenge. I will certainly never be bored!

My name is Cherry and I'm a coloured pencil artist! I spend my days drawing animals, from pets to wildlife, from my home studio in the gorgeous Hertfordshire countryside. I've always had a huge love of dogs and after drawing my own two pups, Cherry Watson Illustration began! Since late 2017 I have been lucky enough to illustrate so many animals, predominately pet portraits of our beloved dogs, cats, horses and the occasional parrot! My work also includes beautiful wildlife pieces, from hares and pheasants to fallow deer, and animals I see on my daily dog walks, like gorgeous cows and birds!

J.K. Bleeg is an American acrylic painter living in Bristol. In each of her works, she uses colour to build mood and provide the viewer with an escape to -- or a permanent reminder of -- a special place, memory, or state of mind. The vibrancy of the arts scene in Bristol has a strong influence on her paintings. She works out of a former music studio in Bristol and her latest collection of abstract work aims to translate the rhythm and mood of music onto canvas. Bleeg's paintings have been exhibited in juried shows in the U.S. and Europe and also included in such books as ArtFolio Annual 2021 and the Bristol & Bath Art Book. Her work is in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

I'm a mixed media artist now living in Nottingham, I have always painted and drawn ever since I can remember and always believed that I would eventually work in this field, but my career took me on a path working with children developing their self esteem and wellbeing which I loved and was also able to use my creativity in a more therapeutically direction. In 2016 myself and my husband was given the opportunity to live in Wisconsin USA for 5 years, during this time I rediscovered my love and need to create art for my own mental health. I draw inspirations from my travels, the colourful vistas of Americas National Parks, the vibrancy of cities like Toyko and San Francisco. I'm currently enjoying working with alcohol inks, which can produce such intense colours whilst maintaining a fluidity which can only be controlled up to a certain point, so you never fully know how it’s going to turn out - which is part of the fun! But I also enjoy other mediums, watercolours, acrylic and ink pads, no matter what my subjects are, whether its female nudes or landscapes, you can be sure that they are always colourful!

I create realistic art for a living because I like the challenge of it. In trying to do a subject justice as it stands, it’s very fulfilling when I get it right. I might alter the odd thing in an artistic rendition, but it’ll be subtle, and rare (if ever). The real and natural world is immensely interesting to me already, so I leave imagined alternatives to those more skilled in and appreciative of them. Nature covers a gamut of size, colour, personality and beauty I find should be worthy of anyone’s attention. It’s also constantly changing, largely for the worse, which is why 10% of all my wildlife sale profits go to selected wildlife charities.

I am a contemporary painter based in York. My work often features the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire, Northumberland and Cornish coastlines as well as expressive still life. I work in a loose, spontaneous style using acrylic with mixed media (sometimes employing gold leaf), preferring to capture atmosphere and energy over too much detail. My work has been exhibited widely throughout Yorkshire and beyond including solo shows at the Hemsley Arts Centre and Beningbrough Hall (National Trust). I have exhibited several times with the Society of Women Artists and I am a member of Leeds Fine Artists which is one of the oldest regional arts bodies in the UK, established in 1874.

Andrew Allsop is a Leeds based artist working to capture snapshots of the city he loves. He predominantly workis in ink and paints; sketching, painting and screen printing. His work looks at both the grand architecture and the everyday scenes that make his northern home unique.

Matthew Watts studied at West Surrey College of Art and Design and has worked as a graphic designer and artist since the late 1990’s. His work has been displayed in galleries in both Bath, Bristol and London. His paintings are primarily portraits and figurative pictures. Working in the highly diverse medium of oil, the aim is not to create a picture of a particular person, rather it explores the process of mark making, colour and the paint itself, in an endeavour to create an image that will stand on its own.  Often working from life or found images, these starting points are not transposed onto a surface but are used as a jumping off point. It is hoped that the qualities of the paint and mark making will create an energy that supplants attempts at likeness and realism. Ultimately it’s an attempt at going beyond an image that is demonstratively decorative but rather create a picture that is its own source of energy.

Colour, its potential to excite the eye, engage the heart and awaken the soul is central to Suzanne’s art. Her work is contemporary, abstract and experimental, often inspired by a sense of time, place or emotion with a focus on bold, exciting palettes. Suzanne has exhibited and sold widely in the UK since 1995 and recently at the Royal West of England Academy open, the Royal Scottish Academy open, the Hepworth and Manchester Art fairs. One of twenty artists shortlisted for a prize at the HOME inaugural open, Manchester, she has a forthcoming solo exhibition at HOME in 2022. Current mixed media paintings reflect diverse moods bound by choice of colour. Some explore notions of freedom and constraint whilst others symbolise new ways of being, celebrating moments of joy. An Urban screen-print series employing neons and overprinted collaged material is loosely inspired by architecturally exciting, regeneration areas of Manchester. Each piece is unique. Three of these were shortlisted for the Flourish national printmaking award, 2020.

Sahara Poette started painting in 2015 with a friend around a table in a Spanish farmhouse. Encouraged by her friend, an artist, Sahara painted a few more pieces. After that she didn’t paint much again, then her father passed away and she started painting again. Her heritage is Jamaican - a Londoner and was privileged to have a father who was learned and world wise. The books on the shelf ranged from Marcus Garvey to Dubois, Sex and Race, War and Peace. “We listened to a lot of Black Classical Music-Jazz and art was all around. My mother was an artist, Father a musician amongst other things. My daughter paints as does my brother. I am the late comer.” Her influences and subject matters are centred around iconography and the figurative appeal of the female form. She creates abstract, layered and textured, applying lines, dots, patterns and colours. Sahara loves colour. “I will paint on anything from plates, to glass, whatever appeals to me, I will paint on it.” Her first work was exhibited in the Auntie Freeze Art Fair at CAVE SW1 2019 and sold ‘She Follows’. Subsequently, Sahara had her first solo exhibition ‘She Walks with Nature’, in May 2021 and sold some pieces much to her delight. She enjoys painting a wide plethora of subjects especially figurative and as her artist repertoire of knowledge deepens, she has come to appreciate the art of before and the art of now. Sahara an emerging artist, is keen to continue developing her art to see where it takes her. As a yoga and well-being practitioner, finding the balance between her two worlds intertwines her love of people and to see equality and justice within the human race.

Oli’s work seeks to portray arresting figurative forms in a way that unlocks the viewer's imagination and perception of how the world around us is viewed, presented and re-presented. His aim is to encourage the viewer to question perception and aesthetics, to raise a smile in the mind. Oli is drawn to finding and re-presenting beauty in unexpected contexts - how often do we look at filling stations, industrial buildings or road markings and see beauty? Mumby’s work encourages the viewer to look, and more importantly see. In a bid to step away from realism and explore a more expressive and stylistic approach to figurative painting and mark-making, much of Oli’s recent work combines collage and paper cut with mixed media.

I am a Sheffield based artist interested in inviting a conversation between my art and the viewer, whether it be through a drawing of a seemingly everyday street scene, a surreal collage, or an abstract painting.​ ​ Through painting I am interested in creating spaces that invite the viewer to participate in a dialogue, developing their own relationship with the work. I like to create suggestions of narrative but enjoy the ambiguous nature and the individual interpretations and dialogue that result. Many of my abstract paintings explore themes of memory and a sense of place. Whilst my paintings remain abstract I am very much inspired by my surroundings, particularly change in people, place and architecture. I often draw on location as research and to practice capturing a sense of the place and my surroundings through observational drawing. This intuitive and connected approach translates to my abstract work. I apply underlying hints of form and structure as I work towards capturing a sense, a feeling, or an unvisited memory.​On first appearance my work can be quite varied as I work across a range of media from collage, to drawings, to abstract paintings. Underlying all strands there is an ambiguity and a sense of time and place which hopefully invites the viewer to engage, and poses more questions than answers.

Grifff is an artist and designer based in Sheffield. Always drawing from a very early age, he entered the art world through his blackboard and sign writing, which garnished the walls and windows of some of the best loved pubs, bars and restaurants in Sheffield. Now working as a full time illustrator, Grifff delivers branding and creative to many international brands such as Red Bull and Heineken, as well as independent Yorkshire businesses. In his personal work, Grifff has a tendency to incorporate the environments of Sheffield and the surrounding areas where he grew up. Lunch On Mam Tor is his second in the series, larger than (wild) life, depicting gargantuan animals creeping up in familiar Sheffield locations, which started with the Park Hill Octopus on Park Hill Flats.

Dan Gardiner is a self taught artist with a creative mind able to explore both human inner reality and human environment. His work is deeply inspired by punk music, graffiti and visual artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kurt Schwitters. His mixed media collage work is aiming to communicate his various views of the world. Dan deals with the themes of mental health, climate change, injustices and present political issues. His assemblage sculptures (robots) show his funny and quirky side, as well as his love of sci-fi. Both art forms are grounded in a desire to be as sustainable as possible, mostly using recycled materials.

UK based textile artist Anne Kelly is an award-winning artist, author and tutor. Her multi-layered and densely stitched textiles have been described as ‘small worlds’. Trained in Canada and at Goldsmiths College in London, she creates wall hangings and objects using a mixture of mixed media collage and hand and machine embroidery. Her inspirations are taken from travel, memory, nature and especially folk art. Anne tutors mixed media art and textilesn to a variety of groups in the UK and abroad. and is a member of the Embroiderers Guild UK, the Crafts Council Directory, the European Textile Network and the Society for Embroidered Work. She also exhibits and curates group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her recent solo exhibition at the prestigious Ruthin Craft Centre ‘Well Travelled’ was reviewed as ‘a delight to behold’ by the renowned ‘Embroidery’ magazine. Her four books for Batsford Books connect and reflect her practice, being widely collected and studied by students of all ages around the world.