Let's explore one of the greatest ways to create art today - and the most environmentally friendly. Here are ten examples of the generation of green artists, how they do what they do, and where you can find more of their very impressive displays.Before getting into the amazing artists who recycle products into artwork, I need to explain why I feel this article and this art form is so very important. I urge all of my readers to visit "Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait" by Photographer/Artist Chris Jordan. Using visual examples, Jordan shows us the immense waste that we in the United States provide to Mother Earth in a way that is impossible to ignore.
Mary Ann Cruse is a very inspiring woman who has been crocheting plastic bags into beautiful hats for the past 3 years. Using 30-90 bags to make up every hat, each is a unique style and color, inspired by fashions as early as the 1920s. Soon she plans to donate many of her hats to St. Jude's Research Hospital where they will be auctioned and the proceeds will go to the hospital. Please read more about Ms. Cruse at KFVS12 News Network.
What to Do With Plastic Bags is a blog showing many things you can create with plastic bags. Hats, purses, dresses, tube tops, rugs; you name it, it's shown here. The blogger, Cristen, displays her own work along with other people's projects and photos of classes she has given on plastic bag crocheting.
Apparently, the subway can be used to inflate things. Who knew? Joshua Allen Harris, who has become quite well known for his street art, takes full advantage of this fact in his very innovative inflatable trash bag sculptures.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster's displays are, in my opinion, truly incredible. Their amazing trash sculptures look cool enough on their own; but take a look at the shadows that those sculptures create, and you will be totally blown away. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find an official gallery for these artists, but Think or Thwim and Deitch both show great collections of Noble and Webster's works.
I've never seen a sculpture made of woven recyclables before, but that's exactly what was done at the Eden Project in the UK, and by artist Tone Holmen in a completely separate piece. Both of these polar bear sculptures are made of plastic bags. Notice the differences between the two styles; the sculpture made at the Eden Project is clearly woven together creating a smooth texture, while Holmen's representation is made in a way that gives the illusion of fur. Also, make sure you look at the peacock sculpture in Holmen's gallery. So cool.
Talk about clever and innovative, Web Urbanist's awesome article, Green and Geeky Adaptive Reuse Design Projects, features a collection of totally unique furnishings created by all kinds of reused materials including tables made of bike tires, chairs of aluminum cans, bath tub love seats, shopping cart chairs, and a chandelier made of disposable pens.
Visit Dr. Evermore's Scrap Metal Sculpture: Forevertron to enter a world that is fantastic and real at the same time. Take a look at the space capsule, three-headed cats, and the band of birds made of horn instruments. Forevertron is just one of many surreal work's by this artist. Featuring an eclectic collection of scrap metal from centuries past to absolutely modern. Don't bother running from the giant spider. If you've seen it, I'm thinking it'll get you no matter how fast you move.
Carl Rankin creates model airplanes from pieces of trash. To make each plane, he uses plastic wrap, straws, Styrofoam take-out boxes, and more. Oh yeah; and they fly too. Watch Xeni Jardin's interview with Rankin below and don't forget to check out Flying Puppets.
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