EPISODE THREE March-June 2008

Trillium Charter School-New LNPB Artists, Portland
Two pieces were created by 3-4-5 students at Trillium Charter School in Portland, OR. The students have been engaged in a year long pursuit of gaining awareness and taking action on the issues of waste, sustainability, and global warming. For this art project they began by examining works of other artists who used found plastic as their medium for doing collage. After being inspired by the possibilities, we set off on the task of deciding what our collage would look like. The students brainstormed ideas for the subject matter and then voted on one. After that, each student drew a “Best Picture” sketch to generate ideas of what it could look like. We voted on our favorites and chose one to start work on. Students reflected on the issues of plastic waste and how they can turn trash into art.
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Vicky DeKrey- Returning LNPB Artist, Portland
This time I created a dysfunctional quilt with:
Circles, because we are all connected.
Hands, because we can make a difference, and
Ripples, because (we hope) what we start will have a "ripple effect" causing more and more people to demand less and less plastic.
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Grace Espiritu- Returning LNPB Artist, Portland
Oh my gosh, I made it. I thought it would be easier, but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I did better on eliminating my plastic usage...but had difficulty with the creative part. So I must say, I “recycled” on the creativity part as well (from my work on the First Episode). Hopefully this will give other folks out there a way to re-use their plastic as decor and prevent it from ending up in our landfills.
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Alicia Escott- New LNPB Artist, San Francisco
Over the past several years all of my work has dealt with issues of waste management, the perceptions of recycling, and specifically plastic. I am interested in reconciling society’s ability to simultaneously accept two irreconcilable concepts. Plastic is widely considered a virtually permanent substance and yet it is ubiquitously used for the manufacture of ‘disposable’ objects- particularly packaging.

The drawings are all made by hand and are extremely time-consuming to render. By laboring over ‘disposable’ packaging with utmost care, I hope to reveal the in-congruency of permanent material used for disposable applications.

It was surprising to realize how many alternatives I was able to find, yogurt in ceramic dishes that we can return to the store for deposit, bulk conditioner in a store just near my house. I found it incredible how I was able to live virtually plastic free on my own. In collecting my trash the work becomes an obsessive self-reflection and further critique of the ‘green’ movement I am apart of.

Lastly I realized that I would use fabulously little plastic for weeks at a time, but as deadlines and stress piled on I found I could in a matter of days consume three times that amount, just to get by. The faster I moved the more I consumed.
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Mabel (May) Johnson - Returning LNPB Artist, Portland
I am a seamstress and very creative. I especially enjoy making hats, scarves and purses. There is nothing that i can't sew and I enjoy it all. I love doing my work and making things that are enticing to the eye. It was fun to continue what I love to do. That's my motive.
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Cheryl Lohrmann- Returning LNPB Artist, Portland

“Parasol” is interactive art! Stand inside the umbrella and, using the handle as a point of reference (so you don’t get dizzy) read the history of plastic: the laws, businesses and advocates who recognized its potential for profit; and regulations that recognize the need to contain it. The spiral order of the years represent a typical gyre (the “g” is pronounced as in the word “gross”) in the ocean which, ever since the beginning of this time line, has been collecting the world’s plastic detritus via our storm drains and rivers. There are currently seven of these gyres, now accumulating nicknames such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, your local garbage gyre located midway between San Francisco and Hawaii. The “BIG GULP” clips are for you to indicate moments on the timeline that you feel were particularly unfortunate or to indicate a fact which propelled you to see the world of garbage in a fresh way. Gulps also available in Double and Super Sizes for added effect.

Take Action Outside the Parasol: If you see a lid or plastic bag on the verge of a storm drain plunge, rescue yourself from it, pick it up and make art!
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Jessica Lyness- Returning LNPB Artist, Portland
Although I avoided purchasing plastic, I accumulated a persistent pile that lives in my basement. Surveying the plastic rubbish and envisioning something beautiful was very difficult. The most prevalent item in the heap was yogurt containers. I wanted to create art from them that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Out of the yogurt containers I created a wooded forest and earrings, hence both of my goals were realized. The large canvas of the wooded forest was inspired by Doctor Zhivago and specifically, the background during the overture at the beginning of the epic film. Frankly, that is where my mind was when my creative juices were flowing.

As I was contemplating canvas layouts, I clipped pieces of plastic and found that the shapes I was creating would make nice earrings. A craft I was already accustomed to dabbling in, I found that earring ideas kept coming to me with each new swipe of the scissors. And a lot of earrings are plastic anyway!



My second canvas is a simple use of clear plastic water bottles. I like the shine and texture that the pieces make when combined. I left the canvas half empty in hopes that our world is half a step away from cleaning up the plastic problem.

Someday, very soon, I will have to learn to make my own yogurt.