Most OEN readers probably lack any clear idea of what constitutes “mixed media” – like, it's a contemporary expression of post-painting art. But what is THAT?

::::::::

The only tradition I can think of which William T. Wiley belongs to is what I think of as The Rene Magritte Tradition: Wiley's a mild looking and well-dressed artist, seemingly consummately bourgeoisie, whereas many of the man's earliest works were precursors for the revolutionary installations of Marina Abramovic and countless others.

I'd been thinking about how difficult it is to present pictures of “mixed media” when I found Mr. Wiley's art in the Mixed Media Section at artnet's Artist Works Catalogues. In his presentation at AWC, only 17 of his more than 120 works are classified as “mixed media,” but they could define the oeuvre.*

“From the very beginning of his career, William T. Wiley has been a maverick. He came on the scene in the early 1960s, developing his inimitable figurative style when virtually every artist in the United States who wanted to be taken seriously was painting in the Abstract Expressionist mode....Over the ensuing decades, Wiley has remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth and humor. - Mike McGee in The Main Art Gallery of California State University catalogue: The World According 2 William T. Wiley”

-

*All the images are courtesy of artnet's Artist Works Catalogues. See here, where it says:

“This body of Modern and Contemporary artists' sites brings insight into the depth and scope of extraordinary artists' oeuvres, and it serves as a research tool for students, faculty, museum curators, researchers, dealers and collectors.

Artist Works Catalogues reflect the dynamic nature of the Web, and our goal is to present a growing body of artists' online monographs. Unlike published print monographs and catalogues raisonnés, these are living catalogues, which will be constantly updated as artists create new works and estates release additional information. artnet offers these catalogues free to the public as an educational resource. Simply click on an individual artist's image to begin, and check back often to browse new catalogues.”

Authors Bio:
I have a law degree (Stanford, 66') but have never practiced. Instead, from 1967 through 1977, I tried to contribute to the revolution in America. As unsuccessful as everyone else over that decade, in 1978 I went to work for the U.S. Forest Service in San Francisco as a Clerk-Typist, GS-4. I was active in the USFS's union for several years, including a brief stint as editor of The Forest Service Monitor, the nationwide voice of the Forest Service in the National Federation of Federal Employees. Howsoever, I now believe my most important contribution while editor of the F.S.M. was bringing to the attention of F.S. employees the fact that the Black-Footed Ferret was not extinct; one had been found in 1980 on a national forest in the Colorado. In 2001 I retired from the USFS after attaining the age of 60 with 23 years of service. Stanford University was evidently unimpressed with my efforts to make USFS investigative reports of tort claim incidents available to tort claimants (ie, "the public"), alleging the negligence of a F.S. employee acting in the scope of his/her duties caused their damages, under the Freedom of Information Act. Oh well. What'cha gonna do?