Tag Archives: recycled

David Greenhalgh

Hello! Today we are rolling out our second interview from our artist interview series! Below is a recent interview with the incredibly talented David Greenhalgh of Green Phoenix Relics. David is an award-winning mixed media artist who works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He transforms vintage found objects and cast-offs into stunning works of art. Look at the intricate details of the artwork below! What an incredible way to repurpose things.

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Uncommon Canvas: When did you start making art? 

David: Having been brought up in a family of “Creatives” in Southern California, as far back as I can remember I was surrounded by people who were constantly making beautiful objects: My dad painted, made stained glass art and worked with photography while my mother made jewelry and shell ornaments/frames/baskets which she then sold in her gift shop in San Juan Capistrano. Our family also participated in The Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, which was a great way to see all the local artisan’s different work. Besides my mom & dad, my mother’s sister worked as an animator for an Oscar-winning animation director and my brother designed surf clothing. The cool thing about being exposed to so many different ways in which to express oneself creatively was that I learned (and was encouraged) from a young age to explore any kind of artistic expression that piqued my interest. I think that’s why I enjoy working in 3-dimensional Mixed Media, because I get to incorporate almost anything I find interesting into my work. So, to answer your question, I’ve been creating since I was a kid. 

Read more…

In The Flowers: The Art of Annie Randall

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These beautiful hand-printed cyanotypes were created by the self-taught artist Annie Randall. Annie lives in Bristol, UK. Her work explores the relationship between humans and nature, and the deep need for humans to reconnect to the natural world. Her art delivers an important message – especially during these times. Here is an excerpt from the artist’s website:

“Much of the work shown here was created during the coronavirus lockdown, where the world quickly came to a halt, and our personal worlds suddenly became much smaller. Undoubtedly a difficult and tumultuous time for many, our interactions, smell, touch and feel became restricted. It highlighted humanity’s need for these sensations, both with people and nature.

We’ve become observers of nature, fearful of the unknown, yet equally destructive in our path. Multiple narratives (colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism) perpetuate this relationship, which permeates into the intimate relationships with each other and ourselves. We’re taught to be individual, but we’re intrinsically social just as multiple animals and plants communicate with one another for sustenance and support. My work questions these toxic relationships that we have with the natural world and ourselves, so that we might be able to conjure new connections, and develop a deeper appreciation and awareness of our place in the living world.”

Annie uses her sketches and photos to create digital negatives for her prints, which she then places on cotton paper and leaves in the sun. The above artworks are printed on handmade paper made from recycled t-shirts. (You know we love seeing artists creatively reuse materials to create their work!) Her process is described in more detail here.

In addition to cyanotype prints, the artist also creates pencil sketches, and sometimes works with watercolors and oil. Her work can be purchased on her website: www.annierandallart.com. Annie is donating 10% of the proceeds from the sale of her artwork to the Free Black University Fund.

Best of luck to you, Annie, and thank you for letting us share your artwork!

Artwork credit (from top to bottom): 
 Annie Randall, Plant Head
Annie Randall, Moon Face Flowers
Annie Randall, In the Flowers

Please note that all images are copyright © of the individual artists and used on this blog for educational purposes. Selling, printing, or repurposing artwork without an artist’s permission is not nice.

Featured Artist: Jo Atherton

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“Like the pottery archaeologists use to define human cultures of the past, a layer of plastic will signify our own throwaway society. What will these discarded fragments say about us?

– Jo Atherton

Artist Jo Atherton is the perfect example of an artist using non-traditional materials to create art. We also love that she is bringing awareness to environmental issues.

Atherton creates her art from discarded materials collected along the UK coastline. Using the energy of the sun, she makes gorgeous cyanotype prints (also known as sun prints) of the items. She also weaves tapestries from the items that she discovers.

Atherton believes that we can learn a lot about our past through these washed up objects. Some of the items she finds are 30 years old or more, like old plastic toys. It’s interesting and sad to see what happens to these items when they are no longer loved or needed. In the artist’s words:

“I weave strands of stories to engage the public with sensitive environmental issues in ways that distressing images of marine wildlife cannot. My creative practice has become a useful conduit to explore single-use plastics as most of the flotsam objects I work with are commonplace in our homes.”

Her images are stunning and beautiful, yet they also serve as reminders of the disturbing amount of trash, mainly plastic, that is accumulating in our oceans. The artist cannot solve the issue on her own, but she is doing a great job of bringing awareness to the problem. Through her process, she also recycles items that would otherwise be garbage into meaningful artworks.

Atherton’s work had been widely exhibited. She teaches flotsam weaving workshops, and is also a creative advisor to University College London for their plastic-free campaign, among many other things. More information can be found on her website: joatherton.com.

Image Credits: Copyright © Jo Atherton, joatherton.com.

Bee Habitats as Art

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Greg Corman is a landscape designer and artist living in Tuscon, Arizona. He creates his work from recycled or salvaged wood, found objects, and steel. The above images are examples of his bee habitat sculptures, which are functional forms of art. The sculptures have holes and tunnels drilled into them to provide bees with brood chambers for their babies. He states on his website that these functional artworks are nesting spaces for native pollinator bees and do not attract honey or killer bees.

Artwork Credit: © Greg Corman, cormanart.com

Michelle Stitzlein’s Butterflies & Moths

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Moth6web Michelle Stitzlein 8217 s Butterflies amp MothsMichelle Stitzlein is an artist from Ohio who works with found and recycled objects. She uses unexpected materials to create her artwork, such as bottle caps, garden hoses, shards of china, old piano keys, and license plates. She has a great sense of color and design and knows how to transform the discarded items into intricate details that make her work come alive. Her butterfly and moth series is striking.

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Michelle is also the author of two art books for children, Bottlecap Little Bottle Cap and Cool Caps! Her website has several great examples of bottle cap art projects.

 

The Linoleum Art of Bill Miller

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While constructing the sculptures, Miller came across an unusual art material: vintage linoleum scraps. He has been creating linoleum masterpieces for over 20 years. His collage-like linoleum paintings are made using only recycled and vintage flooring, no extra paint is added.

Miller’s artwork has been exhibited in several museums and galleries.  To view more of his work, please visit his website at billmillerart.com.

Image Credit: © Bill Miller, billmillerart.com