Zero Waste: Art

Zero Waste art: Reuse, but in a special way, namely Reuse to art! Today a guest blog by (art) artist and very good friend Jessie. You can find her work on Instagram under @river_trashart

Help, where are my dentures?

While I think about what I want in this Zero Waste (Art) blog, I quickly realize that at least my most hilarious find, a denture, should not be missing. I roam along the Waal river near Nijmegen and jut objects. At home I use this to compose compositions and turn them into collages. I have containers filled with colored plastic, iron, tin, ceramics, fabric and wood. The house is bulging, although I try to keep it under control.

As I’m writing this blog I cann’t find the dentures! It really should be in the “pink” container.

For a number of years I have been strolling along the river and enjoy the sounds the water makes, the sun on my skin and all the treasures I find. The Waal can rise and fall considerably, which means that you always find other things. For me, the banks of the river are a kind of candy store. I am happy with a found marble, a nice piece of stone, a piece of weathered tin or old sunglasses. Even a piece of plastic of 2 millimeters is interesting.
For me it feels good that I am cleaning nature a little bit in this way. And ensures that I am more aware of the waste issue and the beauty of the earth.

Wondering

The materials found, with traces of travelers on the river, provide wondering. A shell, clamped between the bracket of a beer bottle, a piece of weathered can …, I think it’s fascinating.
For me, these founds are materials to express myself, to develop my own visual language, as an other artist may use paint or clay.
I ask myself questions. What appeals to me? What do I see? How can I combine these? What happens if …? What and with what do I want to express myself? Exploring and discovering. That is the pleasure for me.

Playing

I think it’s important to keep playing with the materials. I use it to make compositions and take a picture. The materials are then returned to the boxes so that I can use them again.
I also make collages on cardboard. Here I work more from my inner self. I use the materials from the Waal and use enlarged photos of found materials or photos taken of the landscape near the river. I choose to use recycled material as much as possible, which is why I am currently working on cardboard from old boxes.

Unfortunately, I have not found the dentures yet. So I will search again. Fortunately I did take a photo when I found it.

Ps. If you have made a cruise on the Waal, have puked on the railing and lost your dentures, you can contact me. Can you come and fit😉. Although I like to make a composition with it first!

Yesterday I wrote a blog about an unexpected event: the neighborhood BBQ.