"Sustainable Art"

I want to share with you today a major component of my practice in art. I often wish that my calling in life would have been something less.. pricey.. I find it hard to purchase materials, especially for painting, when there is no certain return on the investment. Paint and brushes are expensive, but if you are smart about it you can really stretch the longevity of your supplies. But canvas, oh is canvas expensive. I currently do not have the luxury of possessing adequate space and money in order to buy it by the roll and stretch my own canvas...

...But I do have an apartment in a low/lower-middle-class neighborhood just outside of downtown Montreal. What this means is when people do their spring cleaning, they simply throw all of their garbage on the sidewalk. When you're at the point of considering yourself a "starving artist" like me, you learn you must often swallow your pride in order to take advantage of some amazing free stuff.

A few weeks ago when I took the garbage out, I spotted something leaning against a post halfway down the block. Upon further investigation I found two posters mounted on masonite, and-- my heart skipped a beat when I saw a corner of canvas peaking out behind boxes-- a painting! I dragged it all home and when I walked in the door my mother, who was visiting that week, looked at me like was an absolute nut.

I told her I had found treasure.

The panels were both identical, about 22" x 36", each with a bit of water damage, but nothing that couldn't be helped. I wiped them down and on a sunny day I brought them outside and went to work armed with an exacto knife and sandpaper. The posters peeled away easily enough, and I sanded down remnants of paper and glue.  Sorry cute giraffes.

When I was satisfied with the quality of the surface, I primed the panels with a few coats of white paint (don't bother buying overpriced gesso at the art store when you can often prime your surface with the same simple white paint you use to paint your walls). And voila, after only a few hours I had two beautiful large masonite panels that cost me almost nothing.

I prefer to paint on panel when I can. Not only is it dirt cheap and always in supply at second hand stores, or in this case free on your local street corner, but it also yields beautiful results. Painting on a flat, smooth surface as opposed to the texture of canvas allows your brushstrokes to flow into each other, and colours blend beautifully. My university professor told me the acrylics used to do the painting below looked like oils. Talk about more bang for your buck!

Untitled, 2007, acrylic on wooden panel

What I mean by using the phrase "sustainable art" is salvaging old materials in order to create new masterpieces. Not only are you saving yourself a lot of money by painting on things like re-used masonite, wooden panels, furniture, etc, but you are also doing your part in order to decrease the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills. Using recycled paint to prime your surface will save you a lot of money (I bought one gallon of 100% recycled paint at a second-hand store for only $15!) and it helps the environment as well.

Don't let impurities prevent you from taking advantage, either. There is a hole from a screw in one of my panels, but I'll either plaster over it or I'll incorporate it into my art piece. It reminds your audience that you are practicing sustainable art, and it gives it character!

I hope I've inspired you to consider these things next time you are out looking to create a new work of art. And if you should perhaps find some treasure on the sidewalk too, and don't create art for a living, feel free to send it on over to me!