Folk Art Mixed Media

Artist Comments
A portrait of a vibrant woman exudes confidence and attitude. Her striking blue hair complements her sparkling eyes, while her fiery personality radiates thro...

Artist Comments
Two nude figures join hands in artist Libby Ramage's arresting primitive piece. The elderly couple braces themselves going into an uncertain future. "The firs...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage presents a modern expressionist piece collaged from abandoned students' works. She comes up with a composition clamoring in joy. Cartoonis...

Artist Comments
A white-winged cat soars over a forest on its way to heaven. It wears a happy smile and carries a twinkle in its eyes. Bright verdant hues contrast with textu...

Artist Comments
Amid the joys and struggles of her life, a young mother takes a moment to rest, accompanied by a cute puppy. In the background, a small section repurposed fro...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage daydreams under the shade of an old sycamore tree. In this mixed-media piece, she combines the images in her imaginative musings—a beaut...

Artist Comments
Exploring a narrative on the hazards and uncertainties of love, the artwork conveys the idea that letting oneself fall into affection is a gamble. The wood ba...

Artist Comments
A yellow tabby cat captures attention with its enigmatic and inviting gaze. Behind it, the dog shows a protective aura, silently vowing loyalty and friendship...

Artist Comments
A dancing lady throws her arms in the air with fervor in artist Libby Ramage's mixed-media piece. The work expresses the exuberance of a young girl in a flowi...

Artist Comments
In this whimsical assemblage by artist Libby Ramage, a man and his pooch attempt to court the lady and her wolf with a song of love. "Maybe it's the wine talk...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage presents an image of two human figures and an insect. She paints the glove crimson and attaches beads and pages of a book for a revolution...

Artist Comments
In this piece, artist Libby Ramage utilizes torn wine labels to define the two figures and their clothing. "A mother is scolding her child for the pile of torn paper at her feet while a guilty bunny in the lower right corner sneaks away," Libby explains of this playful collage.

About the Artist
Libby Ramage infuses a playful and whimsical mood into her works. In fact, she credits the children she works with for greatly influencing her aesthetic. She often uses children’s abandoned work in her collages. Libby currently lives in New Jersey and finds inspiration in the work of Rauschenberg. She believes collectors should buy from the heart.

Words that describe this painting: wine labels, bunny, mother, child, figurative, family, folk art, people, representational, primitive, mixed media artwork, beige

Bad Bunny...

Artist Comments
"Three dogs created from the labels of Italian wines, primarily Chianti, meet to share the day's news," describes artist Libby Ramage. Utilizing paper, wine l...

Artist Comments
This is the eighth in a series of pieces done from old photographs my mother took of the now extinct amusement park, Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio. Idora Pa...

Artist Comments
Artist Lee Smith presents a mischievous-looking rabbit in the act of running away. She leaves out the pursuer from the composition, allowing the viewer to create their own narrative. Bold black linework with strategically placed teal accents outlines the patterned golden hues of the charming hare. The gray background allows the subject to take center stage, enhanced with a complex system of white tick marks, which add interest and help create the feeling of action and motion.

About the Artist
Artist Lee Smith combines abstract, expressionist, and gritty contemporary art in her work. “My style is greatly influenced by years spent in CGI production and an unapologetic love for the daily comics,” says Lee. As a keen observer, she finds her inspiration in the social aspects of life. Her work represents human emotions and portrays these emotions by illustrating the animal world, often using those popular companions—cats and dogs. In her long professional career, Lee has worked as a newspaper layout artist, a visual merchandising specialist, a freelance graphic artist, a technical illustrator, and an art director. Lee retired from the corporate world ten years ago to concentrate on her art career. “Although I studied art in college, I prefer to describe myself as 'self-taught.' Years of irreplaceable hands-on experience have provided an extensive and invaluable continuing education in the arts,” says Lee. When building her current home in Oregon, she added a small studio that she keeps organized and clutter-free. She wears her trusty paint-covered denim overall when working, and typically listens to audiobooks or podcasts. “I have dozens of paintbrushes in cans all over the studio, but I have only about 10 favorites that I always use.”

Words that describe this painting: rabbit, bunny, grin, teeth, eyes, pattern, running, run, leap, leaping, animal, ears, feet, legs, jack rabbit, mixed media, playful, animals, mixed media artwork, grey

The Getaway...

Artist Comments
A man collaged out of sheet music sings loudly in a visual stream of maps. His animal companion howls a silent tune. Artist Libby R...

Artist Comments
The photographs that form the head of this catlike creature are images of the carousel from the amusement park Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio that is long go...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage takes inspiration from her seventh-grade son's algebra homework. She imposes a sheet of equations on the face of a prince's portrait. Libb...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage portrays the mischievous god, Eros in a quaint assemblage of wine labels and charcoal. Inspired by the illustrations on the wine label, Li...