5 Artists who live and breathe recycling

Have you ever considered the potential and impact of waste created in our everyday lives? Many products today often end up as trash when they could be recycled into treasure. In fact, the repurposing of one thing into another entirely new thing is a key component in sustainable art. Here are 5 artists who passionately create works using found objects & recyclable sourced materials. 

Amy Flynn

Known for her “Fobots” collection, Amy Flynn combines her two loves of thrifting with robots. Through her combinations of cool vintage finds at flea markets, scrapyards and auctions, Amy creates uniquely sculptured robot art. Each piece receives it own name, number, and personality. As stated on their tags, “They are not functional, they are not toys, and they will not go on a rampage while you sleep.”

Amy’s “Me Upon My Pony On My Boat” was inspired by the Lyle Lovett song of the same name. He is composed of spice tins, pool ball, sash lock, funnel, wrenches, hose fittings, wire brush, buttonhole attachments, screen door bracket, clock gear, and a tin toy boat.

Ian Berry

Yearly, huge volumes of textile waste go straight to landfill instead of being recycled. Inspired by seeing his old jeans bound for a charity, Ian Berry focuses on reusing denim to create detailed urban scenes and portraits, like “Fifty Shades” that uses Grey denim on denim.

“I had the idea of cutting up old pairs of jeans to create images prolonging the life of the jean.” states Ian. With denim’s ubiquitous use throughout the world we live in, it transcends borders, race, age, social class and time. This makes it an ideal symbol of materialism and egalitarianism values.

Johnnie Collier

Through her ambition for upcycling and recycling, Johnnie Collier creates stylish repurposed decor, accessories & jewelry. Her artistic creations aim to inspire like-minded creatives and their repurposing efforts. 

Johnnie’s “Mason Jar Windchimes” showcase the potential of reworking glass containers into elegant rings, while breathing new life to old jewelry. 

Tom Deininger

By combing junk & toys to cigarette butts, Tom Deininger creates art that brings attention to the environmental impacts of waste. His process of regrouping things we don’t care for with things we do illustrate the effects of the consumerist society that we live in. 

Comprised of various plastic meshes, flakes, buttons & more, Tom’s “Mercurial” fish, clearly states these environmental ideals through the juxtaposition of a functional storage drawer for valued goods (flask, cigar & lighter), within a detailed severed fish head.

Vera Van Wolferen

Vera Van Wolferen is a stop motion animator who works primarily with cardboard and paper to create one of kind artist pieces. Her cardboard lamp series includes works like “CAFE Mountain,” that elegantly showcase her hand-craftsmanship. 

Vera quotes, “What I love about working with recycled cardboard is that with a very simple and inexpensive material you can still make beautiful things. I give shape to a material that was once already disposed. By turning it into a work of art, it becomes something valuable.”

Unlike traditional art, sustainable art redefines a material’s lifespan and decreases the need for new consumption. This efficient sourcing of materials reduces emissions & energy, while creating a unique artistic masterpiece.