Artist insights, creative techniques, suggested art supplies, and guided exercises for March 2026
by Elizabeth Ragona, with art by Gina Hurry. © 2026 Alabama Art Supply.

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Meaning unfolds through layered materials, repeated shapes, and intentional mark-making.

Mixed media invites artists to slow down, layer thoughtfully, and allow meaning to emerge over time. Rather than working toward a single planned result, mixed media encourages exploration—combining materials, processes, and marks in ways that evolve naturally as the work develops.

This month’s Studio Notes art blog theme, Layers of Meaning, with artwork by Gina Hurry, centers on the idea that art doesn’t have to be resolved all at once. Like our thoughts and experiences, it can unfold gradually, shaped by curiosity, intuition, and reflection.

What Is Mixed Media?

At its core, mixed media is the practice of combining different materials, processes, and mark-making techniques within one artwork. Paint may be layered with collage, drawing, texture, or found materials. Each addition changes the conversation happening on the surface.

Unlike more traditional approaches, mixed media doesn’t follow a single “correct” order. There is no required sequence and no expectation that one layer must be finished before another begins. Artists are free to respond to what’s happening on the page—adding, covering, revealing, and revisiting as needed.

This openness makes mixed media especially inviting for artists who want to explore without pressure.

Why Artists Use Layers

Layers create visual depth, but they also carry emotional weight. Visually, layers allow colors to interact, textures to emerge, and forms to shift in and out of focus. They give artwork a sense of movement and history—evidence of decisions made along the way.

Emotionally, layers reflect complexity. Feelings overlap. Meanings evolve. Mixed media mirrors this process, offering a way to build without erasing what came before. Revision doesn’t mean failure; it becomes part of the structure.

Working in layers encourages patience and trust—both in the materials and in yourself.

You might also find meaning in what Gina Hurry herself has shared about her process. Reflecting on a work in progress, she wrote:

“And as always the white space is owning me.
What is this magic of space??
Finding it / creating it / making it…
things left uncluttered, undone, unsaid or with room to breathe.
Sometimes the void makes everything else more beautiful.
Feels like the mystery of faith to me.”

In mixed media, space is as intentional as mark-making. What’s left open, quiet, or unresolved gives the eye—and the mind—room to rest. Layers don’t always mean adding more; sometimes they ask us to pause, step back, and trust that restraint has its own power.

This balance between presence and absence is part of what gives layered work its depth. Meaning doesn’t always come from what is revealed—it often emerges from what is allowed to remain open.

Symbolism in Art

Symbols in mixed media don’t need to follow universal rules. Repeated shapes, colors, or imagery often gain meaning simply through presence and persistence. A form that keeps appearing may hold personal significance, even if its meaning isn’t immediately clear.

Mixed media allows symbolism to surface organically. Rather than planning symbols in advance, artists often discover them through repetition, intuition, and response. What matters most is not whether others recognize the symbol, but whether it resonates with you.

Personal meaning always carries more weight than prescribed interpretation.

Learning from Gina Hurry

Gina Hurry’s work offers a compelling example of how mixed media can balance intention and spontaneity. Her use of organic forms, layered surfaces, and transformation imagery creates a sense of movement and growth—artwork that feels alive rather than fixed.

There’s a visible dialogue between control and release in her pieces. Shapes are carefully considered, yet marks remain expressive and open. Layers don’t conceal earlier decisions; they build upon them, allowing meaning to deepen rather than simplify.

Her work reminds us that mixed media thrives in that space between planning and play.

Letting Go of Perfection

One of the most powerful aspects of mixed media is how it reframes mistakes. A mark that feels wrong doesn’t have to be erased—it can be layered over, softened, repeated, or transformed. What once felt like a problem can become structure.

Mixed media rewards curiosity more than precision. It invites artists to ask, What happens if I try this? instead of Will this be right? Over time, this mindset builds confidence and freedom in the studio.

When perfection is no longer the goal, exploration becomes the point.

An Invitation for March

This month’s exercises encourage you to work in layers—visually, emotionally, and creatively. Through personal symbols, intuitive color choices, and the transformation of existing work, you’re invited to explore how meaning develops over time.

There’s no finish line here. Just layers, curiosity, and the permission to let your work become what it needs to be.

Suggested Products (March, Week 9-13)

Week 9: Personal Symbols

Focus: Choose a symbol and explore it through repeated mark-making and variation.

• Sketchbook or Mixed Media Pad  – sturdy surface for layering
• Graphite Pencil Set – variety of hardness (HB, 2B, 4B)
• Micron Fine-Line Pens / Markers – for symbol definition
• Primsacolor Colored Pencils or Watercolor Pencils – subtle color layering
• Erasers (Kneaded & Vinyl) – for refining marks

Week 10: Layer Without Fear

Focus: Build work using at least three distinct layers — different materials or techniques.

• Mixed Media Pad or Canvas Panel – heavier weight for multiple layers
• Acrylic Paint Set – versatile base medium
• Acrylic Brushes (assorted sizes) – for varied layer styles
• Acrylic Gel Medium (matte or gloss) – for adhesion & texture
• Paint Knives – add texture and push paint around
• Found Papers / Collage Elements – book pages, wrapping paper, ephemera

Week 11: Color & Emotion

Focus: Use color to express mood, letting emotional content guide choices over realism.

• Acrylic Paints or Watercolor Set – rich color layering options
• Acrylic Brushes with Mix of Sizes – expressive marks and washes
• Sta-Wet Painter's Portable Palette / Richeson Gray Matters Palette Paper – for experimenting with blends
• Inks or Acrylic Inks – vivid transparent layers
• Gel Pens / Pastels – accent colors and texture

Week 12: Transformation

Focus: Revisit an unfinished or older piece; add new layers and materials to evolve it.

• Existing Artwork (on Paper or Panel) – ready for transformation
• Acrylic Mediums – for integrating and sealing layers
• Paint Knives & Texture Tools – scratch, scrape, sculpt new marks
• Collage Materials – scraps, fabrics, ribbons, photos
• Spray Bottle or Water Jar – for wetting and manipulating media

Week 13: Meaning Through Layers

Focus: Build meaning by layering marks and materials, allowing earlier elements to remain visible and influence the final surface.

• Mixed Media Pad or Canvas Panel – supports multiple layers and materials
• Acrylic Paint Set or Cotman 10-color Watercolor Tube Paint Set – for transparent and opaque layering
• Inks or Drawing Tools (Pens, Pencils, or Graphite) – to add line and structure between layers
• Collage Papers or Found Materials – introduce texture and visual memory
• Acrylic Mediums – for adhesion and unifying layers

Bonus Tools (Great Across All Weeks)

• Portable Palette (Masterson or similar) – keeps paints fresh & organized
• Brush Washer with Lid – convenient cleanup
• Paper Towels / Rags – for texture, blotting, wiping
• Viewfinder Tool – helps isolate areas and compose layers

TRY IT NOW: Layers of Meaning

March 2026 Studio Notes Exercise Guide

Inspired by the work of Gina Hurry

Mixed media is an invitation to slow down, layer thoughtfully, and allow meaning to emerge over time. These exercises are designed to help you explore materials, symbols, and process without pressure to “get it right.”

There’s no required order, no perfect outcome, and no single interpretation. Each week offers a starting point—what happens next is up to you.

WEEK 9: Personal Symbols

What

Choose one symbol that feels meaningful to you. It might be a shape, an object, a form, or a recurring mark. Explore it visually through repetition, scale, or variation.

Why

Personal symbols carry meaning because you return to them. Mixed media allows these forms to surface naturally, without needing explanation or justification. Repetition builds connection and clarity.

How

• Start with a simple background layer
• Introduce your chosen symbol more than once
• Let the symbol evolve rather than stay identical
• Notice what feels intuitive instead of planned

Reminder: Your symbol doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.

WEEK 10: Layer Without Fear

What

Create an artwork using at least three layers, changing materials or techniques with each layer.

Why

Layers create depth—visually and emotionally. Mixed media gives you permission to revise without erasing, allowing earlier decisions to remain part of the structure.

How

• Begin with a loose base layer
• Add a second layer once the first feels “done enough”
• Introduce a third layer that responds to what’s already there
• Allow earlier layers to show through

Reminder: Covering something doesn’t mean losing it.

WEEK 11: Color & Emotion

What

Use color to express a mood or feeling rather than represent something realistically.

Why

Color carries emotional weight. In mixed media, color doesn’t have to describe—it can suggest, emphasize, or shift the tone of a piece entirely.

How

• Choose colors based on feeling, not logic
• Apply color in layers—transparent, opaque, or both
• Notice how colors interact as they overlap
• Let contrast guide where your eye rests

Reminder: There’s no wrong color choice when emotion leads.

WEEK 12: Transformation

What

Return to an unfinished or older piece and transform it by adding new layers, marks, or materials.

Why

Transformation is central to mixed media. Revisiting work reinforces that art is allowed to change, evolve, and become something unexpected.

How

• Look at the piece with fresh eyes
• Identify what still interests you
• Add, obscure, or shift elements intentionally
• Allow the new work to coexist with the old

Reminder: Transformation is growth, not correction.

Week 13: Meaning in Layers

What

Take the symbols, shapes, or motifs you’ve developed earlier in the month and transform them through layering. Instead of adding symbols as discrete elements, let them interact across media — paint, collage, mark-making, and texture. Focus on what each layer reveals or conceals.

Why

Layers don’t just accumulate material — they accumulate meaning. When an earlier mark shows through a later passage, it becomes part of a visual conversation. Understanding this interaction enriches your visual language and deepens personal expression.

How

• Select 2–3 shapes or symbols you’ve worked with this month
• Begin a new piece or revisit an existing one
• Build layers using at least three different materials (e.g., paint, ink, collage, pencil)
• Pay attention to how earlier marks affect later ones
• Draw relationships between elements rather than just placing them side by side

⭐ Share Your Process

Trying the exercises? Finished or not, your process matters.

We’d love to see what you’re working on. Share your piece on social media and tag @AlabamaArtSupply or use #StudioNotesAAS so we can follow along.

A Final Thought

Mixed media rewards curiosity more than control. Each layer adds information—about the materials, the process, and yourself. There’s no finish line here, only exploration.

Let meaning build slowly. Let mistakes become structure. Let the work surprise you.

Featured Artist Connection

This Studio Notes art blog is inspired by the work and approach of a featured artist at Alabama Art Supply. Visit the artist’s feature to explore their work, background, and creative perspective in more depth.

→ Meet the Featured Artist: Gina Hurry

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