I like to make art from recycled stuff, and i try to use much of my own garbage, but i simply don’t go through enough stuff to keep my art pantry stocked! so maybe you can help me out? listed below are some common things i collect/use, which may be going into your bins… i’m also open to new unexpected bits and bobs that may populate your world. please send me an email if you’ve got anything you think i might like! and if you got the goods, you might just get a little something in return!
muselets
the wirey cages from certain corked bottles – champagne, fancy beers and ciders. these are currently my most sought after art supply! i guess we’re just not celebrating enough these days, eh?!
guitar strings
any instrument strings, actually – piano, bass, guitar… i’ll take ’em all! kinky or fresh, broken or bent… they are all welcome!
wishbones
wishful thinking, i know… but if you eat boney birds, and don’t like to make wishes with their furcula, gimme gimme gimme (please)!
plastics
i like to use soap, shampoo, cosmetic and detergent bottles… the more colourful the better (although i do use a considerable amount of white, also)! Opaque is preferable, but translucent is always welcome. note: #2 (HDPE) is preferred for it’s stability.
dead lighters
every lighter has at least one spring (some have 3!), one flint and myriad little bits, including the much coveted Bic thumb depressors, with which i make little teeth.
chains
did your necklace or bracelet or any other type of chain break, and it’s not worth fixing? then let me make some art with it, please!!!!
any old chain bits will do, nicely thank you!
dolls
has your kid outgrown or disfigured their dolls? i will dispatch them from this earthly realm! preferably ones with either blinky eyes, and/or squishy pliable limbs.
buttons etc
a couple of buttons dragging you down? i can easily find a home for them! along with other random sewing notions like bent or rusted pins, tacks, buckles, ribbon… you name it!
springs
springs are big things in my work: small ones from pens or large ones from mattress coils, i just might have a use for ’em!
hardware
got a mess of mismatched screws, washers, nuts? i do! wanna add yours to mine? rusted and/or bent nails also welcome.
pens
disposable pen died? save it for me! some have springs, some have little threaded cones… who knows what else i might find!
envelopes
when i open my bills etc., the patterned envelope interior has long captivated me… if you get fancier bills than i do, show me the envelope!
fortunes
i feel quite fortunate – outrageously so! if you’d like to add to my good luck, by donating your old fortunes to me, i’d put them to good use!
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Lucky numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 37, 51, 88 and 95
random wire
from twist ties to insulated electrical, i’ll figure out a way to use ’em!
miscellany
old candlestick? scraps of lauan? doorknobs or drawer pulls? broken typewriters? magnets?… you never know what might come in handy!
bread tags
i actually save these for another artist who uses them, but i can pass yours along, too!