Meet Req the Whimsical Canadian

I have another super multimedia artist to introduce you to. You are going to love this recycling, artistic Canadian. Almost all of her whimsical art takes place on recycled materials. I fell in love with her artwork on Etsy when I was looking for ecofriendly artists. You can find lots of great artists on Etsy producing quality handcrafted items, and lots of the products are environmentally friendly. So, before I give away all the surprises, I'd like to start my interview with Req. Don't blame me if after the interview you go to her shop and buy everything in it - it's just one of those good things.

Tell us a little about the art you make?

i'm a bit of a scattered artist in that i like to dabble in a variety of different mediums [paper, vintage book pages, pen and ink, felt, cardboard, paintings], but thematically i'm pretty solid- crows, squid, jellyfish, pills... once in a while i stray from those, but i always come back home. i try to infuse a bit of humour in everything i make, be it a silly title or an obviously funny doorknob hanger.

when i started making art, i spent way too much money on canvases and paint and other supplies... there came a point where i decided i wanted to make things, but not at the expense of being able to live my life. i forced myself to start making things from whatever i found in recycling bins or cheap things at the second hand store. it's a more exciting thing to do, to scour a store for something just right or to try and see the possibility in something, instead of going to the back of the store where the 8"X8" canvases always are. i feel that it forces me to grow, it creates new rules for me every time i go to the charity shop- everything becomes an exciting experiment.

Where do you get inspiration for your art?

inspiration can and does come from anywhere, usually at a time when i don't have a pencil or a piece of paper and am forced to repeat the idea to myself like a mantra [which i inevitably forget until i'm half asleep that night]- the latest thing i made was a mixed media piece on cardboard of clouds and raindrops- i was inspired by a fellow artist [heather utah] who said clouds were relaxing to draw. i wanted to see if she was right, and she is! sometimes it's a song lyric [the piece "sleep when i'm dead" was made thanks to a song by the cure] sometimes it's

even as basic as "can i actually draw a jellyfish?" and then things take on a life of their own. mostly though, my work is inspired by humour. life can be too serious and heavy; i like a piece of levity [even black humour] at least daily. i don't go looking for inspiration, it usually hunts me down, like a cat .

Do you have a favorite medium to work with?

paper, in any form- book pages, loose leaf, cardboard, any of it- i love love love paper and the textures it comes in. i like the way it always does something different even if i'm doing the exact same steps- it'll buckle or tear or wrinkle or stay flat or peel off... i love the unpredictability of it. this may sound strange, but i love how frustrating it can be.

Most everything you do is on recycled materials, like books or fabric - is that an important part of your artwork?

it really is. i've been an environmental gal since the early 80s' it's just my way of life. i ADORE being able to take a ripped up book and instead of leaving it in the recycling bin, i'm able to make 100+ artworks from it. i'm an odd duck in that when i can save something from the garbage, i feel like i've won a prize, it's a bizarre victory for me to say "look at this!!! they were just going to throw this out, can you believe it?!" just this evening i bought some valentine's day candy and thought to myself "well the chocolate is all well and good, but what can i do with the red foil though? maybe i should buy the ones with the pink foil instead..." i'm always thinking like that now. using every piece of something thrills me. i have stacks of broken books that i've taken from libraries' recycling bins- i don't know what to do with them all, but i figure they're better of with me, than at a recycling plant. and if i hit a point where i have too many, well, putting them back where i found them is still a great solution for the environment.

another aspect to using these types of items is that while i need to be able to make my art, i also need to be able to afford to make my art! and of greatest importance to me is that if someone else really wants to own it, that they themselves be able to afford it. if i used other mediums, i'd be forced to charge more to recoup material cost

Where can we go to buy your artwork?

you can find me online: http://reqbat.etsy.com

my twitter and flickr accounts are also "reqbat"

and my blog is http://reqbat.livejournal.com/ for previews of my work, as well as monthly freebies!

What kinds of different projects are you working on for the future?

i bought myself a sewing machine to learn how to sew free-form on things, i'm very excited about trying to sew on vintage book pages, even though i don't know how that'll work with some of the paper being as tender as it is.... and i've recently started delving into making more "story telling art" and other stuff that's kid-friendly... my sketchbook is filled with different raindrop sketches, so maybe something like that in felt?

and i have this pile of pink foil here...

Meet Benny the Vinyl Queen

Often on this blog, I'm encouraging you to make conscious choices when you decide to purchase things and to buy from individual artists and crafts people when you can. Well, when you see what this next artist has to offer, you will quickly add her to your favorite artists list to buy from. I met Benny on Etsy, a place that sells handcrafted items. Her products caught my attention right away because they are so unique, fun and use a surprising, unusual material. She graciously allowed me to interview her so that you could meet her and see some of her wonderful art. So,....

Benny tell us a little about what you make?

I work with unloved (scratched, old, forgotten) vinyl records and turn them in to something lovable again! I paint vinyl records with a colourful mandala design, and I'm now just getting in to making jewelry from vintage vinyls as well.. I even got my hands on a few coloured records. So happy.


How did you get started using records as a material for art?

I was hanging out quite a bit at my boyfriend's (now husband) communal house.. and they had records pinned up all over their walls.. one day we all decided to paint them! Mine was the fan favourite and all others that I did at the house were stolen at random parties.. so.. hahah.. I knew that I had something there..
But really, vinyls are pretty much free or cheap nowadays.. a great and plentiful medium to specialize in!

I love, love, LOVE using vinyls for the recycling factor.. AND because they're round.. there's no easier way to paint even circles than to have the ridges on records to go by..

Are there special challenges when working with vinyls?

Definitely..
If you are melting them, you have to do it at such a low oven temperature.. they can emit very noxious gasses at even 200 degrees..

Also, painting them has it's own challenges.. I don't use a primer underneath the paint & so it takes several layers of paint to make them solid. A bit time consuming..


Where can we go to buy your jewelry and artwork?

On Etsy (yay!).. the greatest 'buy handmade' site EVER.. so full of talent.. My shop name is BbbennyandtheJet you can also find me at several Halifax, Nova Scotia craft shows, rockin' my socks off.
Oh, and from me personally of course.. I have a couple of local greatest fans that will stop me on the street to ask about my newest stuff!

What kinds of things are you working on in the future?

OoOo.. if I told you these type of secrets, I'd have to kill you. or at least kidnap you and force you to work in my tiny studio with me..



So, take a minute out of your busy day and introduce yourself to a new artist that uses recycled materials in their art.

Meet Jane the Recycling Artist

Who wants everything in their house to look like everything in your neighbor's house. One of the things I want to focus on with this blog is finding alternative ways to buy things. One of the best ways I think to do this is to buy handmade items from the artist that made them. This is nothing but a win/win situation, for both you and the craftsperson. Occasionally, on this blog I will be highlighting such craftspeople and showcasing some of their work. I will also give you information to be able to buy from that artist personally. The craftspeople that I will highlight on this blog will all be creating their products in an ecofriendly way. But I'll let them tell you about that.


The first artist I'd like to highlight is Jane. She's a wonderful artist that I met on Etsy and is part of my Trashion team. She makes lots of wonderful jewelry and stuffed animals made from recycled material. I did an interview with her for this blog.

Tell us a little about how you got started making art?

In Lost & Found Objects 2 I create recycled, upcycled and assemblage jewelry. I couple discarded bits from daily life and create new, funky, sometimes funny, jewelry. I also sew dolls from found stuff and make collage from my own handmade paper and found objects. I get a charge out of using things overlooked and under appreciated by others. I have been working with recycled materials for over 20 years, at first because I had no money and then later (even though I still have no money) because that is all that interests me. I think I like the extra challenge of working with what is available and I congratulate myself on finding uses for things normally thrown away.

What kind of art do you get excited making?

I love assemblage. I love that the items I find to incorporate have a history to them. This creates more depth and layers of meaning. I get a charge out of that. I love Joseph Cornell's work and Robert Rauschenberg.

How did you become interested in using recycled and reclaimed materials in your artwork and jewelry?

I studied Art at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, IL where I received a MFA in Fibers and Art History, but more than anything I have been a scavenger, squirreling away things I find that appeal to me.

For over a decade I have directed an arts program at Patchwork Central in inner city Evansville, IN. I enjoy making art with the children from the neighborhood, who often bring me cool items they find themselves in walking through our city’s streets. I like to feel I am helping to create a new generation of redeemers who will look at life in new creative ways. 10% of the proceeds form my shop goes to support free art programs for inner city kids at Patchwork Central. See www.patchwork.org for more information.

Anyway, we live and work in a low income area in Indiana, and that makes for some great opportunities to find cool broken stuff- especially when you walk form place to place rather than drive.

It is from this cool stuff either the kids find for me or I find myself that my ideas, art and jewelry come from.

Do you have a favorite thing to recycle into something new?

I get really excited about finding a resource that is abundant! and figuring out a good way to reuse it. I have been collecting bits of this and that, old junk drawer kind of stuff, broken things, shiny things, stuff I find on the street while walking. There is nothing like the patina of a partially rusted,

partially shiny smashed bottle cap or piece of metal - run over by cars with the pavement texture ground into it. Yeah!! <:0)

The metal from soda pop cans are my current passion. All my items are well washed and sealed if need be:) In my neckpieces I combine lost keys, worn buttons, seashells, small toys, vintage costume jewelry and hardware with interesting semiprecious stone and glass beads - redeeming these objects for a new life.

My current passion is for old silverware and bicycle tire innertubes. I just found a treasure trove of beautiful Silver plate forks and spoons. I am excited to see what will become of them. My last batch became a bunch of brooches with animal heads attach and the tines from the forks turned into antlers.

Where would we look to see your art for sale?

I have both handmade plush monsters from recycled materials at LilMonsters.etsy.com and assemblage jewelry LostAndFoundObjects2.etsy.com. I also have a shop at Dawanda.com/shop/lostandfoundobjects . Or if you are in the area I have items at Artifacts in Indianapolis, The City Museum in St. Louis, Swanson Reed Gallery In Louisville, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art in New Harmony, IN and at ArtWorks Gallery in Evansville, IN (http://artworksgallery.blogspot.com/).

I noticed that you work with the arts program at Patchwork Central in Evansville, IN and even give part of your proceeds to this organization. Could you tell us a little about the program?

It began when a couple of couples decided they wanted to try to make a difference with their lives and start a new work in a neighborhood where they believed they might be able

to help bring reconciliation. These three young couples had a vision to live, work and worship together in the area near downtown Evansville, Indiana. Half of the group were visual artists and they used their talents to reach out to others, problem solve and build community. I like that. It is still what we try to do over 30 years later.

Today, Patchwork Central continues its outreach to Evansville area neighborhoods with a food pantry and many unique children’s programs. As part of the community fabric, Patchwork Central changes the lives of those it serves by giving them a sense of hope, a place of acceptance, and a bright outlook for the future.

From the beginning, worship was combined with service. Patchwork’s programs and ministries have included neighborhood gardening, health and dental services for the poor, after-sc

hool programs for at-risk children, a Neighborhood Economic Development Center, a bakery, hospitality housing for women, men’s residency program, a food pantry, community Bible studies, and the Center for Community Renewal. We invite and welcome all who wish to join us as we walk forward, working, playing, worshipping and serving together.

You can learn more about Patchwork Central at www.patchwork.org

Any final thoughts?

Life is short. Find our what matters most and pursue it with all you've got in you. That is good advice. I am trying to take it myself. :o)