DEIDRABELLSTUDIOS

My Mediums

The word “medium” in artwork is defined as any material that an artist utilizes to create a given work of art. As a “mixed media” artist, my designs are created using multiple mediums within each piece of artwork.  My work generally utilizes at least five different mediums which greatly enhance the concept and visual depth of each piece.  “Mediums”, I especially enjoy working with include: welding; paint; melted dichroic glass; high fire clay; raku; electroplating; electroforming; bead work; woodworking; batiking; enameling; and quilting. My most recent mixed media creations highlight the beauty of the human face.  These sculptured human faces are also elegantly and exquisitely adorned with other mixed media creations. 

I am a native of Washington, DC with a BFA and MFA from Howard University.  Having always been interested in mastering multiple mediums, I have 40 years of experience in designing and creating exquisitely detailed pieces of art.  This detail was first noticed nationally and internationally when I created museum quality 1/12th scale porcelain miniature dolls (5”- 6” tall) for dollhouse collectors as the owner of Ayanna Doll Sculptures.  Patrons of my work consistently raved about the incredible, precise  details of my work on such small pieces of art.  My eye for detail carries over in all my work. I began sculpting early on and I still work on perfecting that skill.  In 2004 I developed my line of 5-5 ½’ tall very elegant female sculptures adorned in designer clothing which are still highly sought after. I was a high school art teacher for 11 years. During that time, I returned to graduate school at night and received my MFA in 2008 in mixed media and clay. Melted dichroic glass has been one of the highlights of my career for the last 14 years. I use it in combination with other mediums often because it is so incredibly beautiful that it draws people into the work.  

My work’s purpose is to uplift the spirit and to inspire an appreciation for the beauty and fascination of art.  I am inspired by the myriad aspects of nature---beauty, color, texture, and the spiritual connection.  Knowing and understanding the inspiration I feel from the beauty of art, I want to inspire others as well. My wish is for my work to induce a smile; a calming in the body and spirit; a shift in the heart, and an elevated sense of the appreciation for art. 

As an artist, I am constantly inspired.  The human face has been my main inspiration for the last 12 years.  I am deeply inspired by the characteristics, structure, lines, and emotions of the human face, especially the proud, majestic, and elegant faces of African and African American females. This has come naturally because I am a woman but I am equally as fascinated with the structure of the male face which will be introduced to my work over time.  This fascination has inspired my latest body of work, life size faces and masks.