My Mission:

Queering arts & crafts by elevating one-of-a-kind handmade art using a mix of traditional and contemporary techniques with natural fibers, upcycled materials, bits and bobs, and whatever else I can get my hands on!

Meet The Maker:

Hello! My name is Juliet. My pronouns are she/they but you can always refer to me as, "that bitch."

I have an unrelenting appetite for making. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have the support of my mildly artistic parents. They encouraged me to go to university to get a degree. After 4 years of college at the University of Whitewater, I obtained my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree with an emphasis in graphic design. In college I learned about the relevance of art history, how to think critically about art, and how to use new materials from all the studio courses required for the degree. While I was officially a 'graphic designer,' my brain was poisoned by other art forms like sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Today, I still happily utilize my graphic design skills for product packaging, market signage, and the web design of my website!

I founded Hijinx Mixed Media as a way to spread joy and laughter through art. Sometimes my art is humorous just for a laugh, but sometimes it's humorous as a way to take the edge off harder-to-talk-about subjects such as depression, racism, and body positivity. Navigating through the world as a mixed race queer person, I hope to encourage community, solidarity, and resistance through accessible imagery and loud messages.

Thank you for reading a little bit about me. I hope you can see yourself in my artwork and I hope it brings a smile to your face!

xox,

Juliet from Hijinx Mixed Media

 

Commitment to Sustainability

It is hard AF navigating a consumerist world as a small business trying to do better than mega-corporations. I try my best to minimize waste in my art-making practices and try to use eco-friendly and/or ethically sourced materials. Here are a few things I do to treat our planet kindly (with resources so you can, too!):

• Use plant-based compostable plastic sleeves (ClearBags) for prints on paper
• Use recycled & recyclable shipping mailers (EcoEnclose)
• Use recyclable glassine bags for extra protection while shipping (EcoEnclose)
• Upcycle materials such as thrifted or hand-me-down yarn for fiber art
• Use 100% cotton t-shirt blanks (Bella+Canvas)
• Minimize plastic in my art and packaging
• Print on recyclable matte photo paper
• Outsource stickers so they can be compostable and waterproof (StickerIt)
• Use natural materials whenever possible like cotton, burlap/twine, cardboard, paper, wood, etc.
• Support other small businesses with similar dedications!
• Remember, simply supporting any small business and shopping local is inherently more environmentally friendly, and it stimulates local economy!

Mixed Media

What drives me to use different media in my art-making? Call it indecision, if you want to. During my years in college, I was privileged to learn new mediums and techniques because my degree required a shitload of studio courses. This was a little conflicting to me, because I loved every project. From charcoal drawings, to welding, to woodworking, to laser-engraving, to wheel-thrown ceramics, to painting, you name it–I fell in love with it all. Unfortunately, a lot of these art making skills require a lot of expensive equipment and space. Given the resources I have available, I try my best to make one-of-a-kind art pieces that can be enjoyed by many.

Printmaking

There is a wonderful maker-space that I am a member of called Polka! Press Co-op that allows me the space and equipment to utilize my printmaking skills. Printmaking is such a lovely art form for reproduction work, or work that is easily reproduced. The screens I use have a metal frame with fine mesh stretched very tightly over it. Coated in a light-sensitive emulsion, I burn an image into the screen with using positives and a UV-light table, creating a stencil. Then, I use a squeegee to push screen printing fabric ink through the tiny holes in the mesh in the shape of my stencil to create a print! I primarily do small batches on apparel and I hand-pull every print. This is a very different experience than commercial screen printing which would use different inks and automatic equipment. After the prints are pulled, I cure each print using an iron to ensure the prints stay in the fabric FOREVER!!!