I'm a Reuse Artist. The materials I work with have been trashed or discarded. My work presents a fun and exciting challenge as the specific materials available are not ubiquitous. Even though the world is covered in trash, the trash I have access to is limited in color, size, shape, and amount. Therefore creating any piece entails a great deal of foresight into the color palate i have, size of the image, and the composition of the materials being used. Typically I have just enough material to complete the piece I'm working on. Which is good, as all the trashed materials will have been reused!
With my work and actions, I'm attempting to create something beautiful out of the castaways of our over-consumption, in the hopes of inspiring others (and myself) to rethink the world we live in, how we live, and what we use. And to hopefully galvanize individuals into cleaning up, protecting, and preserving the world we all live in through personal action, and decision making.
Trash is everywhere, I can't walk a quarter mile without seeing some form of garbage discarded by a human. We overuse, abuse, and discard our world without a second thought. In my work, I utilize used, discarded, and un-recyclable items, bringing to light the fact that what is considered “trash,” isn’t trash at all. By turning those items into art, I'm attempting to bring to light the idea that nothing we create should be wasted, or simply discarded after use. Ultimately, if we make something, it should be made to be re-used perpetually, not simply disposed of, to avoid polluting our land, air, water, and thereby ourselves. Putting something in a bag, a can, the air, the water, or a hole in the ground, and walking away, is not an answer. It simply creates a whole new set of problems.
My motivations for what I do can be as simple as the goal of leaving this place in better shape than when I arrived. But they can also be diverse and intense. My battle with advanced Glaucoma and the threat of imminent blindness is one of the intense driving forces in my life. It has been with me since birth, and has advanced steadily as I’ve grown. There is no cure for this disease. For me, being an artist and observing my progressing vision loss is frightening, and sometimes it gets the best of me. However, the drive it instills in me to push farther, go faster, be better, and not just in art, but in everyday life, and to create, create, create…is powerful.
Beyond everything else, I hope that my work and actions inspire others to take a second look at their lives. It’s never too late to RETHINK how we live, use, and reuse. It’s never too late to make a positive change in the world we inhabit.
I am a Reuse Artist, and this is my journey to a ZERO (or as close as I can get to it) footprint.
