Because paper is made from a natural resource that is renewable, recyclable and compostable, it is one of the few truly sustainable products.
Visual artists also have a heritage of sustainable practices: from dumpster diving, using found objects found on the side of the road, to finds in second hand stores and from the forest it’s self.
Whether such techniques are used for economic reasons or because of the artists’ godly nature to make something beautiful from what others have used and rejected, the results can be amazingly innovative.
My name is Tuesday Winslow, a Washington, DC papier-mâché artist and I am pleased to be a participant of this sustainable heritage. After my service to United States Marine Corps, I decided to become an artist. Cash poor but creatively rich, I discovered papier-mâché and developed my own unique technique of turning trash to treasure.
I do believe my passion for paper began before I was in my mothers’ womb.
The designs are original but inspired by the Mayan and Japanese cultures.
The papier-mâché is made of 100% discarded paper and a water based glue. The work is creatively decoupage with new and recycled materials. The recycled design elements include but are not limited to stamps from the around the world, maps and colored paper. The papier-mache is used to secure the mirror, signature label & hanging apparatus to the decorative frame which to me is probably the most innovative and interesting process of the work.
For me, the papier-mâché is a 3d canvas. It exists for me to explore its possibilities for beauty and utilitarianism. The most thrilling thing about being a papier-mâché artist is I’m sure I have just scratched the surface.”
