Mixed media art, Osner Gallery
African Mixed Media Art
Artworks that begin as a photograph and are finished by hand with paint, texture and gold, made by Martin Osner and Samantha Lee Osner in Cape Town.
The question people ask
What is mixed media art?
Mixed media art is any artwork made with more than one medium. A painting with collage, a photograph worked over with paint, or a canvas built up with wax and metal leaf are all mixed media.
At Osner Gallery it has a particular meaning. Our mixed media almost always starts as a photograph, which is then layered with paint, encaustic wax, metallic leaf and textured grounds until it becomes something between a photograph and a painting. Some pieces are transferred onto metal, others onto canvas or cotton paper.
It is the discipline that connects everything we make, and very few galleries in South Africa work this way.
Featured mixed media art
African mixed media art to see in Hout Bay
Some of the mixed media works that visitors return for, by Martin Osner and Samantha Lee Osner. Choose one to see its size, edition and story.
A father and daughter conversation
One subject, two responses
Salt of the Earth is Martin Osner’s mixed media portrait of Nelson Mandela. Samantha Lee Osner answered it with Truth of the Human Heart, a montage inspired by her father’s work.
Hung side by side they show what mixed media makes possible: the same face, the same respect, and two quite different ways of building an image by hand.
Before you buy
Questions about our mixed media art
If a piece has caught your eye, we can tell you about availability, framing and shipping, or you can see it in person. Osner Gallery is at 14 Luisa Way, Hout Bay, twenty minutes from Cape Town. Open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. Sunday by appointment, booked the day before. Plan your visit.
Are the mixed media artworks archival?
Yes. Where a work is printed, we use museum quality fine art paper and carbon pigmented inks, so the colour stays stable for a lifetime.
Does each artwork come with a certificate?
Yes, every limited edition artwork comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Are they sold framed?
Works on display in the gallery can be bought as shown, including the frame. Online orders are unframed by default, and our own workshop can frame them afterwards.
Can you ship a framed artwork?
Yes. For pieces that need glazing we use museum grade acrylic instead of glass, so the frame survives the journey. Shipping is quoted separately.
I cannot picture it in my space. Can you help?
Yes. Send us a photograph of your wall and tell us which work you are considering, and we will show you how it will look, free and with no obligation. See our art preview service.