Trash-tastic...

 

Yes, trash-tastic is a made-up word. But still... the Upcycle 2: Turning Waste Into Wonder exhibit is pretty fantastic. It's true especially when you know the art entries had humble beginnings as items that most people throw away! Textile artist Josephine Leyte-Vidal fashioned two jackets. "Fancy Patchwork", left, and "His Jeans and Ties", right- are shown here in front of "Grouper", a wallhanging made from scrap wood and metals. The creativity on display was varied and fun.

Take, for instance, plastic bottles and packaging. They never looked so good. Artist Elizabeth Eichelberger fashioned them into "Ladybug Landing," so dainty and glass-like.

A number of pieces are metal assemblages. Andrew Nichols made "Rapanui" using a shovel head, horseshoes, and rebar. And feathers. Would you say he is fierce or friendly?

I'm always drawn to fish sculptures. This one contains all kinds of familiar objects like keys, license plates, metal roofing, and even a dog's rabies tag. "Ferromagnetic Bass" by Kenneth DeMoliner is mounted on reclaimed lumber.

"Industrial Fowl" is by David Kellner and is formed from metal strapping on a brake pad base. Check out the beak. I had to read the card info to realize it's created with pliers! It's a surprisingly graceful bird given all that metal. The red stickers on the info cards indicate that the piece has been purchased.

A second piece by Elizabeth Eichelberger is "The Tree of Life". She created it using a lampshade ring, copper wiring, and beads from a discarded necklace. Each entrant could submit two upcycled entries for consideration.

These two shadow boxes are made by Rodney Acosta. At left, "The Temple of the Sun" is assembled using a dresser pull, a painted wooden box, plastic and metal figurines, and glass bottles. At right, "The Throne of the Queen Bee" began with a resin home dec curtain holder, a painted wooden box, assorted brass trims, and metal figures.

I had my picture taken by my entry- "Bodacious Graffiti Heart". See the little red sticker? It's going home with a new owner. You can see how I made the heart in my previous post here.

Brick City Center for the Arts is located in downtown Ocala, FL, and the exhibit is still on for a few days next week. Check the link, and call ahead to confirm open hours if you'd like to see all of these entries and more. There's a lovely gift shop section in the gallery, too.

Trashy Vibes...

 

It's time for Upcycle 2: Turning Waste Into Wonder. Our local Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA) is once again sponsoring an exhibit at Brick City Center for the Arts in Ocala, Florida, during Earth Month. The exhibit was so popular last year, that the board decided to bring it again. I entered two projects, both of which were accepted and are on display now. This is the "Bodacious Graffiti Heart" wallhanging. The upcycled materials include the fabric from a discarded blue umbrella, "plarn" (twisted plastic bag yarn) for the hanger, pink foam fruit wrap sheets for the rose embellishments, and a yarn and fiber tassel that includes the label from the umbrella. It was great fun to envision and make!

Here's a closeup of the foam sheet flower that I stitched and gathered. The heart shape is sewn from the umbrella fabric and stuffed with dry cleaner plastic bags. I used fabric and acrylic paint on the umbrella fabric prior to sewing.

My second entry is this "Trashy Journal". The pretty pink floral print is a shipping bag from a fashion retailer.  It's stitched onto a bubble mailer bag to give it a squishy softness. I then decorated the cover with a corrugated cardboard collage from yarn, lace, trims, and a cute girl image cut from fabric scraps. The heart beads on the spine decoration are made from cardboard packaging material. And inside there are "Franken-paper" pages pieced together from security envelopes and other mailers.

Here's a section of the umbrella fabric in process with stenciling and other painted techniques applied.

MCA members who wanted to participate in the exhibit this year were invited to visit Florida Express, a local recycling center and sponsor of the exhibit. I wasn't sure I'd find much in the way of fiber at the site, but I went because I was interested to see the facility. Upon entering we saw these mega-pound bales of shredded materials all compacted and ready to ship to the industries that will turn the material into useful objects. I was impressed with how tidy the facility is.

A mountain of shreds awaits baling.

The assemblage artists on our field trip enjoyed dumpster diving to find their treasures. Hard hats were required for safety. I'll show you what they fashioned in my next post after I visit the exhibit.

The waste trucks back into the warehouse space and drop their loads. Workers then sort and separate what can be shredded from the metal items. It's a well-run operation and was an education that made the visit worthwhile. That, and finding the lonely blue umbrella awaiting its transformation! The workers at the site were all interested and helpful, wondering what the artists would find and make from all this trash. One of them obligingly and carefully cut the fabric from the umbrella frame for me.