lemons [collection]
mixed media, all upcycled materials
this collection [11 pieces shown] is comprised of rejected materials and canvases from estate sales and thrift stores, my previous unsold artwork i no longer liked, and supplies i have that i don’t particularly love to use. the purpose of this collection is to explore a sustainable and accessible way to tell stories through visual art.
stories on each generally speak to creativity and outside the box thinking. visually, each piece is similar throughout [unlike some of my other collections] and are a mixed media collage made with a seemingly reckless abandon.
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selected work from this collection:
“all lemons” [in progress]
“diamond in the rough”
upcycled canvas
17x21 inches
a visual portrayal of the inside of a creative mind: where do ideas come from and how do we know if it’s a ‘diamond’? we don’t—and that’s what makes the creative process so fun (and messy).
[sold]
“sure, why not?”
upcycled wood frame
46x42 inches
a juxtaposition piece about work as we once knew it and work as it is today, done with a bit of dry humoured sarcasm about the status quo.
the way we went about finding work was said to be simple. we’d go to school or training for something of interest and get job in what we studied soon after graduation and after one interview and a follow up phone call. soon we were on our way to a good life with a pension plan. we’d work at this job or a similar job for an entire career and climb the corporate ladder in a nice, orderly fashion. this was what we were told; maybe we even experienced it for awhile.
today has changed——but for some reason the way we find work and the way we hire hasn’t and it’s creating friction; unemployed workers [millions] are applying for new jobs in an old system. i’m tired of being rejected again, especially by a non-human. is it worth it? do i even want this job? is this what i want to be doing? sure, call it cushioned security——until they do yet another round of budget cuts. nobody knows who’s gonna be hit next [it might be me and it could be you].
what if more of us started to think outside the box with what work could look like? what if we seek to find opportunities that actually excite us in a child-like curious way even if they don’t seem connected to our degree or what we should want to do for a living? maybe taking time when you’re younger to travel and really discover what you want to do won’t be so frowned upon? maybe job hopping, switching entire industries, or contract work will be the new norm? maybe the corporate ladder will cease to exist and nobody will care if we have a resume gap? one can dream. and maybe there’s a better way of life than we could have ever imagined but we can’t see it when we’re stuck in an uninspiring cubical?
this work shines a light on opportunity and maybe even a smidge of optimism about the future of work [as long as we learn humility as a lesson and focus on opportunities that light even a small spark inside]. we never know where any opportunity will lead us later, after all, but the light doesn’t lie.
1,200 CDN
available; please inquire
about the process:
details + final video below:
i was one of many to show this at a local event at saskatoon makerspace. since makerspace is kept dim with hanging patio lights for most events and i have a lot of detail to see here, i hung flashlights on either side of the canvas for people to hold up to the canvas and move it around to see the details as some kind of immersive treasure hunt type of experience.
“all lemons”
8 upcycled canvases; 10 mini canvases
sizes tbd
in progress/details coming soon
the entire purpose of these pieces was to upcycle and reuse stuff [it’s made up of mostly stuff i saved from the already overflowing thrift stories or dumpsters] or even my old art that never sold or the paint i have but never want to use. the materials and canvases used are the lemons; the crap nobody seems to jump for quickly and always overlooked. i guess i felt like making lemonade or something.
while each canvas may be a chaotic and unrefined mess, my hope is that when people look past this and see something that inspires action: to avoid buying new stuff [even if the new is within your budget] when plenty of that thing already exists and is ready to be discarded by someone else.
buying secondhand may be about saving money for some, but it should be a sustainability decision for everyone.