My Gnome Little World

I just learned that word. Trash and fashion=Art? Another phrase for it is Junk Art. Whatever you want to call it, it is art made from what most people would call garbage.

A lot of my art is made with stuff I found for free or thrifted or gifted….but some of the stuff for these projects are downright trashy garbage. The worst of all worse garbage, plastics found on a beach where I wish all Sea Plastics went to die.

Last month my hub and I went for a drive and without our knowledge we ended up on what may be the most sea garbage filled beach on the island. It’s in a corner of a bay and the wind and tide seem to go straight to the particular area of the beach. I was overwhelmed with the amount of it all. I didn’t just see garbage. I saw color and I saw childhood laughter. And even though I didn’t know it at the time, I saw potential. That place never left my mind, so much so, we we went back. This time, I was prepared mentally and with reusable shopping bags.

This time to “Plastics Beach” it wasn’t as bad, by “not as bad”, I mean there was less bigger pieces. It was still very bad. I focused on collecting the most colorful plastics. While I was on the hunt, I noticed some big black bags at the edge of the beach in the trees. I assumed they were filled with the beach garbage. This made me feel good, but I also wondered what colorful fun things could I find inside them. Don’t worry, I did not open them. They are destined for the dump for the rest of their long plastic life.

I cleaned every single piece, a lot to be cleaned again. While doing this, I thought of the price of art, even art made from free stuff. It took hours to do the initial clean. I can use old, scratched, marked, broken things for art, but I can’t use dirty stuff with sand embeddeded in it with the potential to smell over time. A lot of this time consuming. Even though, I’m not big on selling my art, I support artists that do and their prices. Oh, I will sell my art, just ask me. Anyway, I recently picked an old frame out of the trash area of my apartment building. Do you see the trashy thing going here? And here is me playing with my idea of art.

I really like it. I go through many processes with my pieces. Here is where I was before creating the one above (mind you it is not done…the things are in a box now), I recently went on a trip to where I got things for cheap or were gifted them. Fun, bright, cheerful things, including beads, miniature stuff, and vintage cabochons, but not limited to that. Here is where I went with those items when I got home.

If you haven’t seen my art, besides using upcycled materials, I love texture for the eyes and hands. I love surprises to be found. I love that I see art when others see magazines, belts, twine, and garbage. I love that I can see how to use things in unconventional ways, like beads not beaded, a belt buckled around a canvas, old rough twine in macrame, and torn maps not used for directions.

Here are other versions of pieces I may do with my plastic beach finds….

Since I’m on this maximalism, lots of stuff in one piece journey, yesterday I was playing more with some of the beads and cabochons I got at General Bead in SF recently (and vintage plastics from a friend there too). Also, I recently have been enamored with miniatures, and bought some while traveling and at a store near my apartment. Yes, new stuff. Ack, but give me a break, they are so cute. Look!

Okay, before you go crazy making orders and wanting to buy…none of these are made yet! 😉

But I did just paint the large frame, and I am looking for a back to adhere items safely to it. Will update this post when I’m done!

Once again, Thanks for visiting… My Gnome Little World!!

—————————————————