I am a mixed media artist who lives and paints in Iowa.  Although I spent most of my adult life in large urban cities (Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington, DC), my art reflects my experience of growing up in a large Italian-American family in a small western Iowa town during the 1970s and early 1980s.  My art features themes of family, food, and growing up in a small town.

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Mixed media is about embracing the journey that is creating art.  In my paintings, I use old book pages, abstract books, recipe cards, magazines, receipts, sewing patterns, maps, newspapers, and other items rescued from the landfill.  I make papers by printing on papers with acrylic paint or watercolor.  Papers are torn and layered on the canvas or cradleboard until it looks and feels right.

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My mixed media collage, "Marsh Madness," is part of the permanent collection of Iowa State University and hangs in Sukup Hall & Atrium in Ames, Iowa.  My mixed media paintings are featured on four  Conservation Stations that travel throughout Iowa as part of Iowa Learning Farms' educational outreach program. My paintings have exhibited in several galleries in Chicago and The Art Center in Highland Park, Illinois.  

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Cecelia Comito