Can you start by giving us an overview of your practice and what led you to explore the intersection of environmental protection, art and care? 

In 2020 after decades long career in fashion, I was looking for a creative challenge with more meaning. I have always made things with my hands and to be honest I didn’t want to spend money on materials which would add more clutter and stuff to the world. I started seeing uniquely textured bottle caps and lids scattered on the streets and thought they would make an impact when stacked. I started making tall totem-type structures, like an imagined plastic Ottoman city. Moving on to plastic bottles that were also everywhere, I found when heated can be molded into more organic shapes that felt more like my aesthetic. I love that I am able to clean up the streets and beaches and care for our earth and ocean while gathering art supplies.  

In your statement, you mention that in your home city of Brooklyn, you “can’t help but notice dormant possibility in those objects that others might pass over as trash”. How do you select the specific found objects to incorporate into your art, and what criteria do you use to determine their artistic potential? 

The streets of this city are overflowing with trash and therefore materials for art making. I am currently enamored with plastic bottles; they are durable and when heated they can be molded organically. I look for color, form and something that is not too dirty. I do look for things that I will find again and again, I have a certain favorite juice bottle that yields large panels of plastic to work with.

Could you describe the creative process behind your artwork? How do you approach transforming discarded objects into pieces of art that challenge viewers to reflect on consumption habits?

The creative process happens in two ways,  I start with the idea and then see how I can fabricate it from a plastic bottle or I see a material, mesh vegetable bags for example and it speaks to me and brings ideas.

I love it when viewers look at one of my pieces and don’t realize it is a plastic bottle or some stacked lids. It provokes conversations about what they can make with what they leave behind. They often start a collection for me.

What obstacles have you encountered when working with found objects, and how have these challenges shaped your artistic approach and vision?

Obstacles arise when I have an idea and I am not sure where I will find all the materials I need. For example, I needed bleach jugs for a class and just couldn’t find enough on my own. I had the idea to find a source, an end user so I  went to a local laundromat and asked them to save them for me which turned out great.  

Your art aims to inspire action by questioning consumption habits and provoking reflection. How do you hope your art will influence people's perspectives on waste and environmental impact?

I love to tell the story of where I found the materials that made up a piece. Plastic bottles left on the beach; A large octopus made from a water cooler bottle left in front of an apartment building. Presenting a group together and saying look at what I kept out of landfill and made into art is a powerful way to present what we leave behind.

Can you share with us a memorable experience or encounter that occurred while collecting found objects for your art in different cities or countries?

This past June I was in the Abruzzo region of Italy, where my jellyfish was part of the exhibit titled “The Art of Fishing… Fishing in Art”. While at dinner with other artists, I noticed that the bottled water served was an incredible cobalt blue plastic bottle. Everyone at the dinner collected the bottles for me and someone even delivered one to my hotel room before check out!

Can you provide more details about your submitted work, the piece titled "Silver Jellyfish"? What are the inspirations and creative processes behind this particular artwork?

The rounded bottom of this plastic bottle just looked organic to me, it was the first jellyfish I did, I wanted it to sparkle so I used vintage beads from my archives as a jewelry designer. The bottle told me it wanted to be a jellyfish. 

In what ways do you believe your art contributes to the conversation on sustainability and environmental consciousness, and how do you see this conversation evolving through your work?

I am committed to using found objects, I know I am not nearly where I want to be, I want to expand into public art, traveling to other cities and countries and collecting, comparing and creating art from trash. How does what we leave behind vary from city to city?

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are interested in working with found objects and exploring similar themes of consumption and waste in their art?

Just take the first step and make something using an item you were going to throw in the trash, just start, with no judgement, and no expectations, being an artist is a verb, not a noun. 

Do you believe that engaging in artistic expression is a mode of nurturing? If so, what are the reasons behind this perspective?

For me personally, to be able to make something out of nothing is satisfying and rewarding. I listen and acknowledge the idea in my mind and bring it to life with my hands.

I can trust myself; I can trust I will try to make something from the idea. That is nurture and self-love.

Know more about the artist here

Cover image

Cooler Octopus by Lenore Solmo. Image courtesy of Lenore Solmo