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Tag Archive: recycled

florie salnot’s plastic bottle project

Written on December 3, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Inspiration, Plastic, Recycled

Beautiful, don’t you think? After you look at the images, please read why I am in awe of 26 year old Florie Salnot. She’s one to watch.

{click on images to enlarge}

Salnot, a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, has a background in art and anthropology. She was determined to help the women of a Saharawi refugee camp find a way to support themselves and also allow for the women to express themselves artistically by applying design to practical problems.

The process

The bottle cutting tool and nail board via Inhabitat

She developed a relatively simple, low-tech method to create jewelry that utilizes equipment available in the camp – primarily hot sand, a cutting tool and a nail board. Salnot’s bottle project makes use of both natural resources (hot sand) and waste materials (discarded plastic bottles) – she describes the technique below:

“The plastic bottle is first painted and then cut into thin stripes with a cutting tool. After that, any type of drawing can be made by positioning some nails into the holes of a nail board: the plastic stripe is placed all around the nails and the whole is submerged into hot sand. The plastic stripe reacts to the heat by shrinking all along the nail drawing and keeping its shape. The piece of jewelry then requires a few last steps and fittings to become finalized. It is a very simple technique which, however, has the power to make the non-precious become precious.”

Workshop participant setting nails in a nail board

Pouring hot sand over nail board design

Plastic Bottle Project Workshop

Nail board design

You can read more about the technique here. A detailed account of the project here. And Salnot’s website here. The video below is a fascinating look at Salnot’s project and the women this project empowers.

Florie Salnot and the Plastic Bottle Workshop participants

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kimberly willcox’s transformation and a damuse giveaway

Written on August 17, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Latest Posts, Recycled, Wood

Kimberly Willcox is no stranger to transformation. An artist who creates three dimensional objects from reclaimed materials, she skillfully transforms the discarded into the collected.

[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember] [private_archives]Several years ago, after a devastating hurricane and a drawn out professional crisis threatened to destroy her career, Willcox also reinvented herself and began making the one of a kind sculptures she is known for today.

Group of Story Poles, recycled materials
Small 32”-45” Medium 42”-52” Large 50”-60”

“I thought of the splintered cypress staves as a metaphor for the destruction and chaos caused by natural disaster. I was at once consumed with the idea of transforming the metaphor from one of sadness to one of rebirth and resurrection. The weathered pieces of wood have now grown into kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal.”

Heart of Gold, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, stone, steel, brass, 28″ x 8″ x 8″

The Stave sculptures pictured here were created from 72 wooden staves that were once the barrel of a water tower on her property, destroyed by Hurricane Frances. Willcox describes them as “kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal”.

Hello Girl, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, steel, 22” X 32” X 8”

Ironically, Willcox now shares a common history with her figures. Last month the artist’s studio sustained massive damage in an electrical fire. I read about the fire and through a Facebook contact I was able to get in touch with Kimberly to see if there was a way we could help. Speaking to her it became clear that she has a strong will, the spirit of a warrior and a powerful drive to make art. Please visit her website to see more of the Staves sculptures and many other portfolios.

Kimberly Willcox in her booth at Ann Arbor, Michigan, before news of the fire

When we spoke, she shared the upside of this latest challenge: her sculptures were spared because she was at a show in Ann Arbor when the fire tore through the Florida studio – she had most of her inventory with her. She also told me that no matter what happens, her creativity can never be taken from her - not by a hurricane, not by the hand of unscrupulous business people and not by a fire. Strong woman. Wonderful artist. Powerful spirit.

daMuse Giveaway

I’m giving away $150.00 worth of books to one person. Keep reading to find out how to enter this giveaway…

Insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost to replace the machines and tools Willcox and partner (in life and art) Kevin Nordhausen lost in the fire.

You can help. Make a donation (click here) to help Kimberly replace some of her machines and tools so that she can get back to work.

In July, an electrical fire destroyed Willcox’s Florida studio

After you make a donation toward Kimberly’s machines and tools (right here), come back and leave a comment on this post to let me know that you made a donation. That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway.

You can find a list of the books in the giveaway package here.

The comments on this post will remain open until Sunday, August 22, 2010 at Midnight (EST). I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and I will announce the winner on Monday, August 23, 2010.

Give $5 if that’s all you have. Give more if you can. Every little bit helps. Spread the word. Share this post on your Facebook page, add a link to it on your blog, email the post to your friends. Together we can help get Kimberly back to work making art.

Beep, Beep, cypress, bronze, steel, 31″ X 23″ X 8”

Donate HERE
List of books in giveaway package HERE

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nikolay sardamov: jewelry & social commentary

Written on August 10, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Latest Posts, Metal, Recycled

Don’t be fooled by the industrial look of Nikolay Sardamov’s jewelry.

[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember] [private_archives]Sardamov’s concern for society, the driving force behind this collection, is anything but steely cold and hard. In Bi-Re-Cycle, the Bulgarian artist pairs bicycle inner tubes and precious metals to draw our attention to the environment, sustainability and mobility.

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shauna mayben: spaces to hide

Written on July 28, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Latest Posts, Metal, Recycled

Shauna Mayben combines her love of small boxes, photographs and pre-loved objects to create lockets, rings, brooches and pendants that have a nostalgic, romantic feel, many providing spaces to hide a lock of hair, a snippet of poetry, a favorite quote, a long held secret.

[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember] [private_archives]Spaces to hide. Spaces to hide. Sometimes we just need spaces to hide. There is something very soothing in the Australian artist’s work and the message the work conveys – I’m particularly drawn to the lockets made from tiny vintage tins. Lovely.

Wild At Heart, sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Lockets, vintage tin, sterling, pearls

Bright Eyes, black oxidized sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Lockets, vintage tin, sterling, pearls

Crimson Blush, sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Turn the sound up on your computer to hear Mayben speak about our fascination with small boxes.

“I have a love and a fascination with the pre loved. Objects tell a story. They capture a sliver of the past; they transport a moment in time. These objects have all been pre loved, and lost along the way. I make room for them to sit inside my jewellery, waiting to be found again. I am fascinated with making containers to house these objects in the form of lockets, book lockets and frames.”

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danielle bodine’s paper covered baskets and news from damuse

Written on July 21, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Fiber, Latest Posts, Paper, Recycled

Danielle Bodine uses traditional basket techniques and found objects to create the lush, paper covered basket forms seen here. Bodine, a textile artist for 30 years, casts paper on the baskets then adds texture by stitching, collaging and burning with a wood burning tool.

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Schroon Lake Melody, 36″ x 7″ x 6″
Mulberry papers cast on basket, removed and reformed into instrument shape.
Painted, printed, and collaged with prints.
Cane, screws, waxed linen attached.

Song of Flight, 19″ x 5″ x 4″,
mulberry papers, Japanese clippers, waxed linen

Mio’s Song, 43″ x 7″ x 3 ”
cast mulberry papers on bamboo basket, plastic gas funnel, and coiled basket, metal clippers, tool, screws, waxed linen

Images from Jane Sauer Gallery. See more of Bodine’s baskets there.

Coming soon from daMuse

When I write about an artist I try to make sure there is a central location to send readers – a place where you can see the full body of work, learn more about the artist behind the art, discover where the work is being shown, get all the latest news…and more.

I came across an image of Bodine’s sculptural baskets during my daily research for DAM and knew immediately that I wanted to share her work, but I couldn’t find a website for the artist. A little digging came up with individual images on different sites and a few galleries showing small collections of the work, an article about her (beautiful) home and a reference to a workshop she taught.

In the end, the images of Bodine’s work on the Jane Sauer Gallery website were compelling enough for me to share with DAM readers (nice job Jane!), but I still wanted to know more, see more, learn more…and so do customers, collectors, galleries and prospective students.

I am getting ready to launch a new service to help artists develop a better web presence. If you are selling your art or are thinking of selling your art, a solid web identity is an important part of a good marketing strategy. Does this feel like an overwhelming, daunting task? Don’t worry – daMuse is here to help!

Whether you have a website that needs a makeover or are just beginning to think about a website design, watch this space for more information…coming soon.

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