Victoria artist Beverly Hancock used to paint a painting and be done. But now, she cuts it up. And then, she weaves it into something new.
Karen Guilbault gathers pine needles 鈥� sometimes she鈥檒l even politely ask city removal not to rake over a spot. She then patiently bundles and weaves them into intricate baskets.
Award-winning fibre artist Martina Edmondson now makes whimsical creations out of nature foragings.
These women are all established artists riding the waves of a rising tide: the growing trend of repurposed art. Essentially, it鈥檚 using found or existing objects to create something entirely new.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge trend in the world, but the biggest trend is to use garbage and reuse things that we don鈥檛 think are beautiful,鈥� Hancock said. 鈥淎nd to try to make something that no one鈥檚 ever seen before out of something you would usually throw out.鈥�
In February, another 鈥榬epurposed鈥� artist from Victoria, driftwood sculptor Tanya Bub, was at an international exposition of repurposed art in Qatar called the Tadweer Art Exhibition. The exhibit merged the worlds of art and environmental consciousness, stated to be a testament to Qatar鈥檚 commitment to sustainability.
For artists who approach art through this lens, the draw lies in reconnecting with the natural world while relinquishing control and embracing spontaneity.
鈥淚 start with something that I find really interesting,鈥� Edmondson said of her diverse pieces, which include collage, sculpture and eco printing (using natural materials to dye paper with earthy tones and create imprints). 鈥淚 might think, oh, maybe this looks a little bit like a face or this could be an eagle. And then my imagination takes a flight.鈥�
She also does embroidery, but, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not pretty embroidery. I guess I don鈥檛 do pretty very well. Or, I don鈥檛 find it pretty.鈥�
Pretty isn鈥檛 the point when approaching art in this manner. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e making it for yourself. And I think that comes with age,鈥� Edmondson said.
Hancock, an expressionist and figurative artist who finds it 鈥渆xhilarating鈥� to rip up and re-imagine her paintings into new works, agreed this is a new era of art-making for her. 鈥淚t is really interesting to see how artists鈥� work changes as their situation in life changes.鈥�
A growing eco-consciousness in the arts community
While repurposed art has always been around, all three artists said they鈥檝e seen it growing in popularity, all part of a growing eco-consciousness.
鈥淚 think with the way climate change is going, there will be more and more emphasis on, what are we using? What are we doing to the environment?鈥� Edmondson said.
鈥淚鈥檓 not saying everybody鈥檚 there, but, you know, I have a big following online. It鈥檚 a very big topic,鈥� Hancock said.
鈥淢any, many artists would say, 鈥楾here鈥檚 no paper towel in my studio. I鈥檓 using rags.鈥� So if you can鈥檛 do everything, you鈥檙e trying to do something, right? And I think every artist is sharing that information with each other.鈥�
Guilbault primarily uses pine needles to create her baskets. But she also paints stones to feature in the centre of these baskets, and once she鈥檚 done painting, she wipes her palette so the paint doesn鈥檛 go down the drain.
鈥淵ou see how we are all thinking about it,鈥� Hancock said. 鈥淲hen I went to art school, what a squiggle of time ago, in the 1970s, nobody talked about that. There wasn鈥檛 a single person in the art world that had ever even discussed, what do we do with this paint? Is it bad for the world?鈥�
Experience repurposed art
While the artists just wrapped up a group exhibit at Gage Gallery in March, Beverly Hancock will be exhibiting at Gage again April 2-14 with RAW: Unveiled Layers, which delves into the raw experiences that shape the human condition.
If you are interested in this type of artwork you can also check out art by Gerhard B盲r, Martha Haversham, Michelle Reader, Wim Delvoye and Yuken Teruya.
But Hancock, Guilbault and Edmondson would probably also encourage you to try it out for yourself.
鈥淚t is magical. After you get going, you go, 鈥業 could have never thought of that鈥�,鈥� Hancock said.
