Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Hello Again, Readers!

It seems as if I've been tracking a certain theme these past few weeks, that of plastic pollution and its impact on our environment.  Did you know that each year, Americans use 380 billion plastic shopping bags?  It's estimated that only 5% of these are recycled.  That means they end up in oceans where turtles, albatross and other sea creatures mistake them for jellyfish. 

Last month, I worked on a piece that was picked up for publishing by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven in the April issue of their monthly publication The Arts Paper.

You can see it here on page 16:  https://issuu.com/artscouncil9/docs/the_arts_paper__april_2018_.

And also here!

This was a fairly lengthy project, which involved weaving strips of plastic bag yarn through 1/2 inch holes in a 17 by 23 inch piece of spray-painted metal mesh.  Sounds like fun, right?!

Here's what the process looked like:

I followed a needlepoint pattern for each of the letters, weaving in and out of the mesh to form them.  It took forever, but I was pleased with the result.

Happy Reducing/Reusing/Recycling!

Marsha

Plastic Coral Reef

Hello, Blog Readers!

It feels good to finish a project.  I've been working on my plastic coral reef for some time, crocheting elements and then hand-sewing each one to the base "ocean."  

  

I included various forms of colorful anemone, coral, sponge, tube fish and seaweed in my coral reef.  Each part was crocheted with yarn made from single-use plastic bags.  I collected bags from Walmart, IKEA, The New York Times, Bishop's Farm Market and Big Y, among others.  

In designing this piece, my goal was to raise awareness of the health of the coral reef by highlighting the connection between human activity and the future of the reefs.  

I hope you enjoy taking a look at it.

Plastic Coral Reef

 

Plastic Coral Reef Detail

Plastic Coral Reef Detail

Please help protect our oceans.  Dispose of your plastic bags properly.  Better yet, take your own reusable bags and refuse the plastic.

Earth Day is Everyday!

Marsha 

  

Thinking Ahead to Earth Day 2018

Dear Blog Readers,

I've been thinking a lot about planet earth lately.

Earth Day 2018 is on Sunday, April 22nd, but if you think about it, Earth Day is Every Day.  Each of us is connected to earth, and earth deserves our care and respect every day, not just one day a year.

One way to respect earth is to minimize the amount of plastic pollution we create. 

Each year, Americans use 380 billion plastic shopping bags.  It’s estimated that only 5% of these are recycled.  They end up in oceans where turtles, albatross and other sea creatures mistake them for jellyfish. 

Over the years, I've collected plastic shopping bags from neighbors, family, and even strangers.  I use the bags to create works that comment on our over-consumptive society, where everything is short-lived and throwaway.

I'm currently working on several small pieces that will eventually connect to a larger work.  Here are some images:

Sea Anemone

Various Sea Anemone

Brain Coral

Sea Star

Each of us has a responsibility to think about our personal choices when it comes to saving our planet for future generations.  Because while it takes a short amount of time to accept the plastic bag our groceries come in, it takes a long time – maybe forever – for the plastic to disappear.

Please do your part.  Earth thanks you.

Happy Spring!

Marsha