Finalist for painter of the year award
Singulart, a global online gallery for contemporary art based in Paris, just had their 2nd SINGULART Awards. A jury composed of four international experts gave out four awards in the following categories: photography, painting, sculpture and design furniture. I was shortlisted along with 9 other artists for painter of the year.
The theme for the 2023 awards was: There is No Planet B. Climate change, biodiversity, natural resources. This year’s awards highlight artists and designers who integrate an eco-responsible approach into their work, aim to reconnect with nature, or rethink the future of our environment. Paintings inspired by organic patterns and natural landscapes. Incorporation of recycled materials.
If you're familiar with my work then painting organic patterns is probably pretty obvious, but what about how I use recycled materials, especially paper?
One way as an artist I make my practice more sustainable is by using recycled paper in my artwork. Studio offcuts, household papers, I try to save as much as possible for use in future works to reduce the amount of waste from the studio.
Using recycled paper in my artwork also adds a unique aesthetic to the piece. The variations in colour and texture can bring a new dimension to the art, one of my more unusual techniques is paper weaving with recycled strips to form the base for a painting.
Sustainability in my studio art practice extends beyond just using recycled paper, however. I reduce waste by reusing and repurposing many other materials and found objects. I use left over paint to cover my strips of paper to weave into new work later. And a big one - sustainable shipping and packaging. I choose to use recycled packaging materials sourced from places like my local framer, who saves large mailing tubes, and homewares shops that have big boxes and bubbles wrap left over from deliveries to their store. They don't always make the prettiest package I suppose but it's important to me to try and reuse materials as much as possible.