Spring 2005

In This Issue:

• Trip of a Lifetime
• Wrap Art
• Exhibitions
• Web Citings
• Subscribe to Recycling Rag

Trip of a Lifetime

Canadian Linda Fair recycled by choice until she had to recycle by necessity. The switch came abruptly on the day she left an abusive husband with a "sled" she fashioned from an adult-size three-wheeled bicycle that had previously been used in a factory. Along with her bicycle, she had a little trailer made from recycled wheelchair wheels that a neighbor built and had previously used to deliver flyers, five dogs (one rescued from a soon-to by destroyed litter; the others rescued from unsafe, unhealthy or abusive conditions), and two dimes and a nickel in her pocket. When she first set out, it was a flight from danger . "My only goal was to get out of there in one piece," she said. After a few hours, she decided to realize a long-time goal of crossing Canada by dog team because that would provide an excuse for their wanderings. "With no job, no savings, and no home, it seemed the only way to keep us all together," she said.

The six of them traveled cross country on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada highway and covered 5,000 miles in four years (243 dog travel days). The first 3,000 miles en route they all slept in a tent, and Fair picked up bottles to trade for cash to buy food for the dogs. During the four-year trip, Fair put her hobby of survival camping to good use. They ate road kill, wild strawberries, bullrush shoots and dandelion greens to name a portion of their colorful menu. The experience wasn't all back to nature -- Fair received gifts of food from people along the way, stopped to take a job as a curator in a historic mansion for three months, was interviewed for radio and television several times and counseled other abused wives, and met her new husband who had heard about her and wanted to meet her. Today she is writing a book about her adventures, gives dogsled tours, and makes rustic furniture.  Her husband builds sleds and furniture from waste wood. Here is an excerpt from the book-in-progress, published with Linda Fair's permission.

The dogs wore booties nearly every day, to protect their feet from wear on the pavement and sharp pieces of broken glass. If things went well the boots would last two days, said Fair, or maybe two hours on a bad day. Each night, often by candle light, Fair mended booties for two hours. They were carefully washed at each laundry stop. "Dogs have smelly feet too," she said. Fair made the first booties from rags tied with strings made from an old inner tube which she bound to the booties with binder twine. En route additional booties were donated by well-wishers and bootie companies.

Wrap Artist

An assortment of John Boak's wrapped art.

John Boak is a painter, graphic designer, web designer... and wrap artist. Wrap Art, a system Boak has evolved over twenty years, consists of wrapping presents in materials other than the usual forms of wrapping paper in unusual ways. It is an improvisational art, relying on a pursuit of contrast over conventions and neatness. Contrast of texture, of color, of light and dark and of materials are the essence of wrap art.

One basic technique of Wrap Art, said Boak, is to of use more than one piece of paper to wrap. The first piece paper that covers an object halfway. A second piece finshes the basic covering. Then you cover the join with folded paper, twine or leftover ribbons which is attached with a glue gun.

For materials, use shopping bags (ones with print are interesting--you can cover some of the letters and form new words), newspapers (foreign ones with colored pages are especially good), marketing brochures and posters, magazine pages, colored paper and butcher paper. While he does not purchase foil paper, Boak has used rolls that he finds in a dumpster near his home and likes to combine it with tissue paper or brightly patterned paper.

The Outer Package, A Collage: The collage is fragments of brochures and flyers that came in the mail. The "bow" is made of thick white paper strips glue gunned in place. A ring of fat cord, taken from a shopping bag, is glued around the base of the bow; it pushes the white strips up.

White Wrap and Drawing: Using felt tip markers, Boak drew both the bow and simple repeat pattern on plain paper.

The system is simple. He lays out a work area with papers, glue gun, a glue stick, double-sided tape, pens and decorative elements and then plunges in. He keeps adding paper and decorations "until it feels right," he said.

Don't worry about neatness. "The back of the package can be ugly," Boak said. "I call it the backstage; real backstages rarely look that good. Also, you don't have to be perfect. Perfect craft take the fun out of wrap art for many people. For those of you who are naturally neat, don't let me stop you."

For further examples and instructions, see our craft page.

Exhibitions

Trashformations East

Illustration: English/Irish Teapot made of teabag wrappers by Donna Rhae Marder

Transformations East is a new exhibit of art objects at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA featuring works made by 112 East coast artists who have discovered creative uses for discards. These craftspeople have come up with some startling ideas - a necklace of gun triggers, jewelry from expired coupons, lingerie from soda cans and furniture made from unusual materials from skis to lawn mowers, just to name a few. Not all are practical (like the dress made from inner tubes), but all are creative.

The exhibition is curated by Lloyd Herman, founding Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery and is held from January 15-May 1, 2005. A catalogue is available for $22.00 plus $6 for shipping and handling from the Museum Shop by phone (508) 588-6000 x100 or email: shopandrental@fullercraft.org. After it closes, the show will travel to other museums; the schedule is not yet completed and will be posted on the Fuller Museum's website: www.fullercraft.org

If you know of a current exhibition featuring or including art incorporating discarded materials, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

Web Citings

Build a Better Birdhouse
Trying to figure out what to do with lumber scraps? Try your hand at building a bird house in less than three hours (NOT the kind you made in grade school). Complete directions available at www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infplans/infhourbirdhouse.shtm

Recycled Art Show -- Call to Entry
Deja Vu All Over Again, an art and fine craft show featuring artists who reused and recycle materials, will be held in downtown Columbus, Indiana on Saturday, April 23. The juried, state-sponsored exhibit is open to professional and non-professional artists. There are no application fees and no merit awards, but at least $1,000 will be spent to purchase work created by participants.
Visit Deja Vu All Over Again to download an application form. Entries must be postmarked by March 19.