Get the whole family involved in holiday cards this year! While posing for a family photo does have a certain caché, making your own ow botanical greeting cards with pressed flowers is a fun way to spend some time together this season, without the drama of matching sweaters. (You can always include a photo if you want!)

If you live in a place where things are still green, go on a walk with the whole crew and source materials from your own garden or local park (just make sure you’re allowed to take it). If you’re somewhere without much in the way of live vegetation, try picking up a few stems from your local florist, or snipping a few springs from your indoor herb garden. (We like using rosemary, as it not only looks appropriately icicle-like, it also smells amazing and seasonal.)

We used the Armhino Herb Press to create the materials for our cards and used traditional snowflake shapes as inspiration for our patterns.

Materials

• herb press
• flowers or leaves, ideally foraged from a park or garden
• card stock (we love using [easyazon_link identifier=”B00NFUSUVI” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]seed paper[/easyazon_link] as a biodegradable option!)
• glue

Directions

• Leave the flowers and leaves in the press for at least 24 hours.
• Using glue, decorate the cards or seed paper.
• Infuse with love and spread holiday cheer!

The post How To Make Holiday Cards with Pressed Flowers appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Just in time for the holiday season, Phaidon has released a sumptuous and comprehensive survey that celebrates the beauty and appeal of flowers throughout art, history, and culture. Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom takes readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and designers throughout history, from ancient Egypt to today, have depicted flowers and floral motifs.

Following in the footsteps of Phaidon’s international bestseller Plant: Exploring the Botanical World (2015), this captivating survey is a collection of more than 300 spectacular images of flowers depicted in art, history, science, and culture. Curated by an international panel of experts on the subject, including art historians, botanists, floral designers, and museum curators, the book opens with an introduction by Anna Pavord, author of the international bestseller The Tulip and renowned garden writer for The Independent.

The images in Flower span a wide variety of styles and media featuring both renowned and lesser-known works. These range from still-life paintings and photographs to botanical illustrations, herbaria, and sculptures as well as floral arrangements, film stills, and fashion and jewelry pieces. Entries span across the creative arts including drawn, painted, and photographed subjects as well as those sculpted from sugar, cut from paper, embroidered, or blown from glass.

The latest title in  Phaidon’s  Explorer series, Flower is organized as a visually stunning sequence with images, regardless of period, thoughtfully paired to allow interesting and revealing juxtapositions between them. Large-format reproductions are accompanied by a short and accessible text on the work. At the back of the book, a reference section features a glossary of select flowers and their meanings, written by florist and floral advocate Shane Connolly, alongside an illustrated timeline and selected biographies.

Whether depicted by the ancient Romans in stone mosaics, filmed in Technicolor, or digitally rendered with the latest cutting-edge technology, the beauty, symbolism, and presence of flowers in our everyday lives has been an enduring focus for artists globally and will continue to inspire for years to come. Flower is really the perfect book for all those interested in this beloved subject and how the grace and charm of blooms transcend garden walls to a vast scope of creative mediums.

The post Phaidon takes us on a journey to explore the World in Bloom appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Handcrafted luxury brands like Elizabeth Suzann and Alabama Chanin are making modern clothing by hand again, while Instagram accounts like Thea Coleman and Two of Wands have made DIY #knitting cooler than ever.

Enter into this environment Jimmy Beans Wool, a one-stop shop for knitters who offer beautiful Shibui skeins made with recycled silk, fine merino wool, and cashmere.

Offered in a wide variety of freshly picked, earthy colors, the company’s offerings of tweedy lace-weight yarn are complex, tonal, and unique– perfect for color work, lace, and a variety of garment making applications. It’s also super soft, which is a key attribute when it comes to preparing for sweater weather and the Fall harvest.

The company’s Shibui Knits Bouquets (shown in the banner above and the image below) are the latest incarnation of this sumptuous tweed bundle, which adds a plush feel and rich depth of color to any fabric.

We also love the wholesomeness of purchasing fresh bundles of yarn from a trusted retailer– especially one who makes an effort to incorporate recycled materials. (As of this writing, 85% of textile waste goes straight to landfills when much of the fabric and material could be recycled.)

For beginner and experiences knitters, we recommend ordering your first Jimmy Beans Wool products in a variety of colors in order to experiment with the look and feel of the resultant fabrics. The colors are rich without being in-your-face, while the textures have a beautiful tactile appeal– the slight variation in individual skeins makes each product feel special. What more could you want?

To order your own set of yarn bouquets, visit Jimmy Beans Wool online.

* This post was sponsored by Jimmy Beans Wool. The opinions are completely based on the product experience of our editors. For more information, visit our Terms and Conditions.

The post We Love This Freshly Picked, Partially Recycled Yarn appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Below, we highlight some of our favorite botanical artists of the moment, with examples of the beautiful cards they make.

Janelle Sing (For Bespoke Monograms)

Janelle Sing’s materia medica of letters makes us wistful about the bygone era when monograms were de rigueur. We love the delicate line weight that Sing articulates on her bespoke cards, which are ideal for weddings and events. Moreover, we also think they’re wothy of framing in their own right (perhaps as a letter on the wall in a child’s bedroom). Increasingly in this era of tech, people want cards that feel unique and handmade, and the artist’s gentle hand and her relaxed sense of composition impart this exact feeling of sentimentality. Lovely.

The Mint Gardener (For Haute Watercoloring)

Sarah Simon, aka The Mint Gardener, favors dark, moody tones in her romantically saturated watercolor cards, which are among our favorites in the genre. Her eye for detail and precise renderings of some of our favorite flowers. The regal poppy, the humble artichoke, make her perfect for art lovers and plant lovers alike. We adore the density and drape of her bouquets and the rich hues she uses to shade her foliage. Each plant is like a baroque version of the real thing.

Rifle Paper Co (For Affordability)

Rifle Paper Co. offers a variety of custom greeting cards, stationery, calendars, prints, wallpaper, and notepads. You name it. But their standard Botanical Stationary Set is a good staple for those looking for a reliable floral greeting card without too much pretense. They offer a seemingly infinite number of greeting cards for every occasion, and florals are a key motif. Pair any one of them with Rifle’s Egg Art Print and you’ve got the perfect matching gift.

Helen Kleores (For Hi-Res Australian Favorites)

Melbourne-based Botanical Designer Helen Kleores knows a thing or two about beautiful floral specimens that feel quintessentially Australian. Bright-orange banksia, bottle brush, red waratah, flowering gum, and ferns are just a few of the many plant subjects she photographs and transforms into chic, minimalist cards. Her White Nature collection includes flowers and flora of every season and color, always photographed on a smart, clean background. Great for greetings and decoration.

Vincent Jeannerot (For Old World Elegance)

Vincent Jeannerot is a famed peintre aquarelliste membre de la Société Française d’Illustration Botanique— one of the most prestigious botanical art societies in the world. Based in Lyon, France, his refined and realistic depictions of onions, peonies, ferns, and other garden staples reminisce of leather-bound textbooks and turn-of-the-century ethnobotanical drawings. Behold beautiful color grading and a keen eye for depth, texture, and light. As a true botanical artist, Jeannerot also teaches the craft of botanical illustration and painting at various workshops around the world.

Catherine Lewis (For Gorgeous Saturation and a Handmade Feel)

Catherine Lewis‘ “Houseplant Collection” and “Species Collection” cards prove that there’s always beauty in simplicity. We love her Monstera Heart ‘Love You’ and her house plant patterns. Her gentle depiction of light on every leaf in her designs makes each card feel special and handmade. The cards, in turn, make lovely gifts for housewarmings and heartfelt Thank You’s. Her intricate illustrations have been translated onto pillows, wrapping paper, iPhone cases, and the like. Get ’em while you can!

Hackney & Co (For The #PlantFolk in Your Life)

Katy Hackney’s penchant for simplicity and detail makes her hand-illustrated watercolors a joy to behold. Even more for those of us who love botanical illustrations and all of their styled minimalism. Hackney & Co‘s Orkney botanical cards are little recordings of the natural elements found around Hackney’s studio in the Orkney Isles, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. Some specimens include Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis), White Nettle (Lamium album), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), and Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum). All of them are lovely keepsakes, especially for those who have traveled around Scotland.

On the back of each card in the botanical series, Hackney also includes detailed information about each plant, including where it grows, practical applications, and any folklore surrounding the plant. What’s not to love?

Sonia Cavallini (For Pretty Patterns)

Sonia Cavallini‘s patterns remind us of the whimsical wallpaper of our youth, or at least an imagined wallpaper from the 1950’s that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Prada scarf. We love the simple hues that the Lyon-based artist tends to favor, and the fact that her cards’ shiny surfaces bear the unmistakable stain of watercolor. Those looking for a more refined message will appreciate her “Je t’aime” postcards, while her “Girl Power!” cards are a nice way to say hello to someone in need of a pep talk.

Lou Baker Smith (For Wanderlust and Color Harmony)

Lou Baker Smith‘s images have an inimitable wistful quality that we can’t get enough of. The moments of what we’ll call “slow living” that she captures so eloquently in her scenery. A pot of geraniums, a vase of ranunculi, and a lemon on a cutting board remind us of the subtle moments in our own travels. Like smelling fresh produce at a local market, or treating oneself to a bouquet, ideally foraged from some sort of Edenic oasis in the Cyclades. We also love the delicate color palettes of Smith’s cards and the ways in which they are layered to create texture while maximizing emotional impact. So lovely!

The post The Best and Most Beautiful Botanical Stationary appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Opened in September of 2017, What The Flower (cheekily abbreviated as WTF) combines botany and beauty like never before. Founder Justine Jeannin was a hairdresser in some of Paris’ best salons and fashion studios for 15 years before she became concerned with the toxicity of the hair care products she was surrounding herself with on a daily basis.

When she made the decision to dramatically change her methods and adopt a more biophilic lifestyle, the concept of What The Flower was born.

The first step was to convert her hair care arsenal to include products that were more earth-friendly, working with Belgian color tinctures by Hairborist, who offer 100% plant- and vegetable-based hair color, shampoos, masks, and styling products. At the same time, she become deeply devoted to plants– collecting, them, caring for them, and surrounding herself by them when not in the salon.

In 2015, she launched the Instagram account @SweetyOxalis (and the blog sweetyoxalis.com) to share her passion for being a #PlantMom, writing about everything from gardening tips to home decor and offering hot tips on where plant lovers could find the best specimens in Paris.

What The Flower is now located at 35 rue du Chemin Vert, 75011 Paris.

To find more information about the salon and their new space, visit What The Flower’s website. 

The post At This Eco-Chic Salon in Paris, Botany and Beauty Collide appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Choi’s Instagram (@soocake_ully), moreover, is a treasure trove for people who love flowers, food styling, and cake. What started as a hobby has now led the once novice baker to the height of Instagram fandom. “Six years ago, I happened to see a cake made of buttercream and it was so pretty and impressive,” she said. “I made it from then on.”

Before that, Choi says she had a “normal office job” that allowed her to experiment in the kitchen for fun.

Choi doesn’t sell her cakes, but she does offer occasional workshops on how to make them– including a forthcoming workshop in New York, from August 31 to September 3, 2018. (More info about registration can be found here.)

Despite how lifelike her designs look, she insists that she only uses buttercream– no fondant or props, let alone real flowers. (Even though using real flowers on cakes is also a trend.)

“Deep flowers,” Choi says, “are the hardest ones to make– one of [the most difficult] is the English Rose.” The shadowing effect that develops underneath petals that have a lot of depth is hard to recreate in edible form; there’s more room for error, she says, and the grooves have to be more precise. Still, Choi makes it work, and we have been consistently impressed by her designs and how they continue to evolve. Not only are her flowers beautiful and biologically accurate, but her designs could rival that of even the most seasoned florist. It’s often hard to believe they are made of sugar.

Check out some of our favorite cakes from her archive, below.

The post Beautiful Flower Cakes By Our Favorite South Korean Cake Maker appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> https://gardencollage.com/inspire/art-design/vollebaks-jackets-are-changing-how-humans-experience-nature/ Wed, 20 Jun 2018 20:04:30 +0000 https://gardencollage.com/?p=311242 A solar-powered jacket. A hoodie made out of granite that’s designed to last 100 years. A ski jacket that glows in the dark. These are just some of the ideas put forth by London-based outdoor adventure outfitter Vollebak, who first became famous for making a pink hoodie that can help you relax. “We make the future of adventure […]

The post Vollebak’s Jackets Are Changing How Humans Experience Nature appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> A solar-powered jacket. A hoodie made out of granite that’s designed to last 100 years. A ski jacket that glows in the dark. These are just some of the ideas put forth by London-based outdoor adventure outfitter Vollebak, who first became famous for making a pink hoodie that can help you relax.

“We make the future of adventure gear,” the brand rightly states on their website, which features pages and pages of science-backed information and videos about the engineering of their outdoor adventure gear, which was designed with extreme athletes, campers, and outdoor adventurers in mind.

Image via Vollebak

Outerwear is a big deal these days, and Vollebak has managed to create a series of products that are both aesthetically appealing and functional, even in the extreme.

In the video below, watch how the team’s solar powered jacket glows kryptonite green in the dark after charging in the sun all day. Once charged by the sun, the jacket can glow for up to 12 hours, making the transition from daytime to nighttime that much more seamless (it’s great for camping, as you might imagine).

“Even if you took away this jacket’s ability to store sunlight, you’d still be left with one of the most technologically advanced jackets ever made,” the brand explains on their website. “That’s because the light-responsive material is also insanely high performance. While the jacket is waterproofed to keep you dry from ocean spray or summer showers, it’s also soft and breathable enough for any sport, and so thin you can roll it up into your hand.”

When fully charged, Vollebak’s solar powered jacket will glow in the dark for up to 12 hours.

Image via Vollebak

Other jackets that caught our eye with their incredible performance capacity were the 100 Year Hoodie— “an insanely hardcore jacket that’s designed to outlive you”– and the world’s first all black night visibility gear.

The 100 Year Hoodie is made with Kevlar fiber– a durable and heat-resistant fabric that is often used in ballistic-rated body armor. In a video on their website, the Vollebak team drags it across a tarmac tailing from a motorbike, over rocks and through rivers without getting damaged. It’s like the [easyazon_link identifier=”B001OTPBPK” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Nalgene Waterbottle[/easyazon_link] of clothing, in that it cannot break, even if you try.

Vollebak’s Night Visibility Jacket, meanwhile, is super reflective despite being jet black. There are 22 black dots embedded with 60,000 black glass spheres to reflect light back at any source from eight key points in the body– elbows, wrists, shoulders, head, hips. According to experimental psychologists, the human brain’s embedded “pattern recognition systems” require only eight dots of light to recognize a shape as a human form when left in complete darkness. “Our brains are so good at it,” Vollebak claims, “That in 0.25 seconds we can predict what [the person is] doing, where they’re going, and how fast.”

As of this writing, Vollebak only makes clothing for men, but we’re hoping they’ll soon expand to include a women’s collection. Solar-power jackets are a good idea, regardless of what gender they serve.

Read our related story on the Best Outerwear for Men.

The post Vollebak’s Jackets Are Changing How Humans Experience Nature appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> https://gardencollage.com/inspire/art-design/mothers-day-gift-guide-2018/ Wed, 09 May 2018 15:39:42 +0000 https://gardencollage.com/?p=311542 Mother’s Day 2018 is on Sunday, May 13. Do you have a gift yet? If you’re looking for some new and creative gift ideas for Mother’s Day, we’ve got you covered. Below, we spotlight a mix of botanical products that every mom will love– from natural beauty items to kitchen must-haves to artistic curiosities that […]

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]]> Mother’s Day 2018 is on Sunday, May 13. Do you have a gift yet?

If you’re looking for some new and creative gift ideas for Mother’s Day, we’ve got you covered. Below, we spotlight a mix of botanical products that every mom will love– from natural beauty items to kitchen must-haves to artistic curiosities that will surprise and delight. Plus: all of them can be ordered online.

Image via Princeton Architectural Press

Flower Box Postcards, $19.95

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, this box of 100 botanical postcards features the work of 10 floral artists from all over the world. The delightful designs in Flower Box Postcards range from mixed media paintings to block printed patterns of sunflowers, roses, ferns, wildflowers, succulents, herbs, and more, in a variety of cheerful colors.

Suitable for mailing or decoration, the postcards are both whimsical and functional, packaged in a durable, beautifully-illustrated box that can be reused over and over.

Photo: Molly Beauchemin

Seedlip Non-Alcoholic Spirit, $40

As we wrote in our Millenial Gift Guide: “Seedlip’s copper pot distilled, garden-inspired non-alcoholic spirits are billed as ‘The World’s First Non-Alcoholic Spirits,’ and are currently served in an array of Michelin starred restaurants, cocktail bars, and luxury hotels around the world.

The “Garden 108” and “Spice 94” spirits can be served with mixers, teas, brines, and salts to create dry, sour, bitter, and savory drinks. This is a great gift for non-drinkers who want to participate in cocktail culture– or kitchen mouses who want to stock elegantly-designed products on their shelves.

Image courtesy of The Herbal Academy

A Class at The Herbal Academy, $195

The Herbal Academy’s thoughtfully designed Introductory Herbal Course is a wonderful primer on herbalism, including how to use spices and herbs that have medicinal properties, and how to make herbal preparations for common ailments.

Specifically curated to teach the history, ecological context, and safety of various herbs, this class is great for anyone interested in self-healing, plants, and the environment. Participants will also learn how to use herbs in healing teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, syrups, topical applications, and body care products. Garden Collage readers are also eligible to get 15% off any online Herbal Academy Program or Educational Package using the code GARDENFIFTEEN (valid until June 30, 2018).

Image via Weleda

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream, $12.50

If you haven’t already heard about the amazing health benefits of sea buckthorn, this omega-rich berry is bursting with antioxidants that help repair and protect dry, damaged, and/or aging skin. We love Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream, which is full of all natural, nutrient-rich oils that has a pleasant citrus-y scent that isn’t too sweet. Additional notes of grapefruit and mandarin help energize and lift the senses. After all, who couldn’t use a good hand cream?

Image via Vitruvi

Vitruvi Stone Diffuser, $119

It’s very hard to find an essential oil diffuser that 1) doesn’t overly perfume the room and 2) doesn’t look cheesy.

Vitruvi’s elegant stoneware-inspired diffusers come in chic minimalist colors (black and white) and they are also made in the U.S., which is a boon to those of us who are trying to buy local for ethical and environmental reasons. This is a gorgeous product perfect for moms who need a little rest and relaxation.

                          Image via CB2

CB2’s Concrete Planters, $50-$100

CB2’s industrial-chic concrete planters (bottom left in the picture above) come in a variety of shapes and sizes for style-conscious plant lovers. This earthy cement round is designed with drainage and the matt egrey planter rests on a metallic gold tray meant to catch excess water. A chic addition to any home that works indoors, on a deck, or wherever you’re looking to make a statement.

Photo: Anthropologie

Anthropologie’s Five-Year Memory Book, $16.95

A lot of women have expressed to us recently that they are interested in getting into journalling– if for nothing more than recording their memories for the future, or leaving something for their kids to cherish later. Even if your interest isn’t that deep, journalling has been said to calm the mind and be a helpful meditative practice for creative people.

Anthropologie’s One Line A Day Five-Year Memory Book is a cute, accessible way to get started. As the designer’s explain on their website: “Each day is given five lines, so you’ll track five years’ worth of memories that you can revisit as you grow and change. A thoughtful gift for your loved ones, this book will bring joy for years to come.”

Andreana Bitsis | Jessy Scarpone

Make Her Breakfast, $TBD

Sometimes, it’s just the thought that counts. Surprise mom by making our signature lavender and rose donuts or whip up these four recipes for a perfect plant-based brunch. The possibilities are endless, and the food will be made with love!

The post Mothers Day Gift Guide 2018 appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> https://gardencollage.com/inspire/art-design/love-knotworklas-garden-dish-catchalls/ Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:13:37 +0000 https://gardencollage.com/?p=310696 Looking for the best way to decorate your home without spending lots of money on renovations? Look no further than ceramics and detail pieces. While small and relatively cheap, a few statement pieces placed on key surfaces can make even the most drab spaces look brand new– and this Spring, ceramics and vessels are projected […]

The post We Love Knotwork LA’s Garden Dish Catchalls appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> Looking for the best way to decorate your home without spending lots of money on renovations? Look no further than ceramics and detail pieces.

While small and relatively cheap, a few statement pieces placed on key surfaces can make even the most drab spaces look brand new– and this Spring, ceramics and vessels are projected to be as trendy as ever, with outlets like the New York Times continuing to point out that handmade ceramics are “totems of good taste.”

Earlier this year, Vogue even went so far as to proclaim that “Pottery Is The Next Big Mindfulness Trend.” We tend to agree. Whereas detail-oriented designers of past eras doted over name-brand kitchen and design fixtures as signifiers of good taste, now, it appears that when it comes to interior design elements, bespoke is better.

Knotwork LA

Linda Hsiao, the industrial designer behind Knotwork LA, creates her ceramics concepts as “an outlet to identify the work we do in our spare time, it began as evenings and weekends spent in the shop and studio, precious pieces of wood saved from other projects or found while hiking, ideas that came to us in the middle of the night, and a desire to create beautiful, useful things.”

Inspired by natural materials like wood and ceramic, each piece is made by hand– and we particularly love her Garden Dish Catchalls, both in theme and function. Harkening to both the fact that people are increasingly interested in products that are handmade, these nature-inspired catchalls have an asymmetric, imperfect quality that many (millenials, in particular) find endearing.

Knotwork LA

The 5″ x 5″ stoneware slabs are good for holding jewelry, incense, bobby pins, and food (yes– they are safe for that). With their delicate leaf porcelain inlays and thin glaze, they also pair nicely with the artist’s beautiful abstract planters. (For those of you looking for drainage plates for boutique vases, these are great option, though they are obviously designed for use in isolation.)

Knotwork LA

We particularly like the idea of buying a set of different sizes for use with different pots, or as holding vessels for succulents that haven’t yet rooted.

Line them on a window sill, fill them with small knick-knacks that don’t really have a place elsewhere, or use them to organize a desk or boudoir. The possibilities are at your discretion. We’re obsessed!

More info about Knotwork LA and other works can be found here.

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]]> https://gardencollage.com/inspire/art-design/project-vortex-designers-artists-architects-collaborate-prevent-plastic-waste/ Wed, 21 Feb 2018 16:26:39 +0000 https://gardencollage.com/?p=308223 It’s almost impossible to tell that the bright and bold sculptures of artist Aurora Robson, glistening in the light, were once plastic debris polluting the ocean. The captivating and colorful strands of red, orange, and yellows, monumental in size, are perhaps the antithesis of how we perceive trash. This transformation, from environmental waste to works of art, is the central […]

The post Project Vortex: Designers, Artists, and Architects Collaborate to Prevent Plastic Waste appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

]]> It’s almost impossible to tell that the bright and bold sculptures of artist Aurora Robson, glistening in the light, were once plastic debris polluting the ocean. The captivating and colorful strands of red, orange, and yellows, monumental in size, are perhaps the antithesis of how we perceive trash.

This transformation, from environmental waste to works of art, is the central focus of Robson’s artistic vision, and it expands far beyond these monumental sculptures. As the founder Project Vortex, an international collective of over 20 artists, designers, and architects who are using plastic debris as the material for their work, Robson is committed to raising awareness about environmental waste through art.

Photo: Portia Munson via Project Vortex

Robson founded Project Vortex after working with debris for years. “It is a straight uphill battle and so few people seem to be paying any attention to the issue,” she tells us. “The more I’ve learned about how much plastic debris is accumulating in our oceans– and the amount of related chemicals in our bloodstreams, and about plankton ingesting micro-plastics– the more determined I’ve become to try to find a way to help people learn about the effects of our over-consumption of single-use disposable plastics and to shift this trajectory.” Robson founded the collective as a way to collaborate with other artists who were tackling similar issues in their work.

“The impulse to make a piece of art is precisely the opposite of the impulse to throw something away,” Robson said in her TEDx talk “Trash + Love.”

What binds these artists together is the ability to transform trash into something beautiful.

While some artists who are part of the collective take up whole gallery spaces, others create work for public parks. Portia Munson’s “The Garden” (1998) is a constructed space viewers can walk through that’s filled with plastic flowers and other disposable objects, calling attention to consumerism and collective waste.

“A New York minute” by Studio KCA is a large cloud-shaped outdoor sculpture that provides a resting place for two to four people, created from the number of plastic bottles that are thrown away in one minute in the U.S. The piece both transforms an abstract concept of waste into something tangible, and transforms the physical objects of waste into a functional work of art in the process. What binds these artists together is the ability to transform trash into something beautiful.

Photo: Studio KCA via Project Vortex

The vast range of artworks is aesthetically surprising and captivating, and they are provocative in their ability to present an opposite vision of waste and to shift people’s perception of plastic debris. Often, the material itself becomes a source of inspiration for Project Vortex artists, rather than an obstacle to creating something beautiful. “There is so much potential in so much of the material that is all around us and most of us fail to see it,” Robson explains.

“The material has so much ‘plasticity’ build into it; it is a unique material to work with because it offers qualities no other material offers, plus it has archival integrity built into it, which is great for art but terrible for the environment.”

In the future, Robson would like to expand the kind of materials she works with. “I am really interested in working with ABS car parts from the waste stream, especially since so much of that ends up in landfill and isn’t getting recycled,” she says.

Photo: Richard Land and Judith Selby Lang/Project Vortex

Project Vortex’s goal goes beyond simply the artists working within it. Another component, Project Vortex University, is dedicated to teaching students and the next generation about the potential to address environmental waste through art.

A virtual library educates people about different aspects of plastic waste and prevention, and the syllabus of a college course called “Sculpture + Intercepting the Waste Stream,” which Robson developed and taught, is also publicly available.

“The goal is to help find innovative ways to secure this incredible ecosystem upon which we all depend and to develop communities around it,” Robson said. “Participating in eye-opening river, shore, and stream clean ups is actually inspiring if the goal is to find material to use for art instead of merely to clean up after people.”

As far as the artistic process goes, Robson sees another unexpected benefit to working with debris: “the fear a lot of young creatives experience staring at a blank piece of paper or canvas is eliminated, because you can’t possibly make a piece of plastic pollution worse than it is.”

To learn more about how to mitigate your plastic footprint, consider doing a plastic cleanse. 

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