Meet Bijou D’Arpa | Collage and Mixed Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bijou D’Arpa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bijou, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have an MA in Italian language and culture, and I worked as an adjunct instructor teaching Italian for 30 years. The reality behind the college walls was very different from what I had dreamed of as a post graduate student. I realized I needed a clean break with my academic background, and chose to explore my artistic point of view “thinking I would fail”. I first fell in love with embedding dried flowers, grasses, and coffee beans in resin after seeing the work of an Italian artist who combined resin with nature.
Next, I investigated acrylic paint pouring techniques to create abstract fluid art.
But it wasn’t until I combined the brilliance and vibrancy of alcohol inks with resin that I fell in love with creating one-of-a-kind, original collages finished with resin to give the pieces a deep, glass-like finish.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think I’m good with color and composition whether I do an abstract piece or a southwestern piece. The secret sauce to my pieces has been mastering resin, and using it to give my pieces a finished look.

It seems silly but I get excited when seasoned artists think I’ve been making art all my life.

As I mentioned earlier I was an Italian adjunct instructor for over 30 years, and I loved my job and my students. I was actually a very good instructor, so I’m told. When I parted ways with academia, I chose to explore my artistic/creative side. Truthfully, I went into it, thinking I had no creative skills whatsoever. I had never picked up paints, a canvas, and I certainly cannot draw. How could I possibly create a work of art?

My journey tells me that we all have creativity inside of us, and that we need an opportunity to tap into it. It’s never too late to discover new passions and new skills no matter how old you are. My curiosity for new techniques to incorporate into my art keeps me passionate about what I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Because my family is in Illinois, it’s fun to have a family member or a friend visit me in Tucson. The desert is quite different from the corn fields of the Midwest so we explore what nature has to offer… The drive to Mt. Lemmon is amazing because you are surrounded by saguaros everywhere… at 4000 ft, the saguaros disappears, and you are surrounded by evergreens. Next, on the list is Sabino Canyon, a perfect place to breathe and soak in the sun. The Desert Museum is a fusion of zoo, botanical gardens, natural history, aquarium. The aquarium of all places was inspiration for a collage I recently submitted for an exhibition, entitled Fish in the Desert… Yes, we have fish in our Sonoran Desert! Last but not least is a trip to the San Xavier Del Bac Mission where we can visit the mission and… eat the local Native American Fry Bread (Popovers) made by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The bread alone is worth the trip!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My biggest shoutout goes to Jane Monteith, a contemporary abstract artist, author and online educator in resin, encaustic & metal.

My second shoutout goes to the Southern Arizona Arts Guild (SAAG) which, in 2019, the very same day I visited their gallery at La Encantada, in Tucson, AZ juried my work and welcomed me to sell my pieces in their gallery .

Website: https://bijoudarpa.com/

Instagram: bijoudarpa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bijoudarpa/