The back-to-school season means parents are being asked to restock school supplies, and others may be thinking about their own arts and craft needs with the turn to fall.
At the same time, how to create art sustainably is a growing concern. In addition to materials becoming more pricey during inflation and harder to get with global supply chain issues, artists may feel reluctant to put more stuff into the world, even if that stuff serves an important creative purpose. Many Artcraft participants therefore choose to incorporate items that have been previously used and/or discarded, materials that are easily collected in nature, or even those they grow and process themselves.
Examples include jewelry by Terry Manz, who repurposes vintage and preloved beads; and assemblage sculpture by Marianne Campbell – an expert driftwood scavenger who adds elements such a pieces of old dog balls and beach glass.
Other artists like Cathie Grindler transform shells with paint, glue and decoupage. Caroline Trepanier of Divine Clothing uses scrap ends from her high-end linen clothing to make stylish scrunchies and super cute pet toys. Debbie Ritchie of Fenton Design and Jessandra Phillips of Waters Edge Silver each transform beach glass and stones into original jewelry.
Fibre artists such as Donna Cochran and Melanie Thompson incorporate found and repurposed materials into their woven baskets ranging from antler to rope to dried kelp, while Nicole Kelly uses old newspaper as her base material. Artcraft members working in food and apothecary streams who grow their own ingredients or source them through ethical wildcrafting include Lavender & Black, Sacred Mountain Lavender and Salt Spring Wild and Natural.
The following list of materials found in the Artcraft gallery in recent shows provides some ideas for substitutes in your own craft supply table.
- Oyster and mussel shells
- Beach glass and stones
- Deer bones and antlers
- Buttons and sewing notions
- Maps, charts, printed ephemera
- Driftwood and reclaimed hardwood planks
- Wood gleaned from naturally fallen trees (rare local species like Garry oak and arbutus)
- Unraveled mooring line and roll-end coir rope
- Deconstructed used tennis ball
- Wire from an underwire bra
- Upcycled beads, fabric, suit jackets and men’s ties
- Wildcrafted herbs and botanicals
