For me, art is about taking a full spectrum of opposites and integrating them into something connected and transformed. Recycling broken instruments is a creative act that brings together discord and harmony, discard and beauty, disarray and aesthetic.
Artists have recycled for years. What makes recycling so pressing today is that landfills are reaching maximum capacity. Because we would rather throw things out and trash a celebrity or sports figure that has made it to the top in this disposable culture, my art offers [
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For me, art is about taking a full spectrum of opposites and integrating them into something connected and transformed. Recycling broken instruments is a creative act that brings together discord and harmony, discard and beauty, disarray and aesthetic.
Artists have recycled for years. What makes recycling so pressing today is that landfills are reaching maximum capacity. Because we would rather throw things out and trash a celebrity or sports figure that has made it to the top in this disposable culture, my art offers a way to re-consider the way we honor things, other people and ourselves. If you’ve ever been down, neglected or mussed up, you understand the need for a better way.
The Japanese have a concept they call wabi-sabi that speaks to the art of imperfection, and/or the willingness to accept things as they are. Wabi-sabi is really about process, not the end result. Wabi-sabi requires that we take time to pay attention to imperfections. To practice wabi-sabi means to accept nature’s process, including impermanence. Nothing is constant. Life is always changing. Some of the materials in my paintings include an old scarf, broken drumsticks and a violin without strings. These things could be dismissed as ugly and without value, but wabi-sabi has taught me that we are in a constant state of change, and to value the moment/the now. Spend some time with the broken items to look at the details. Notice the curves, the crevices, the angles, the shading, the indents, the drips and the blotches. The texture in my art matches the texture of my life.
Namaste is my favorite word. Namaste means “I honor the light within you”. Namaste is how I approach my art. I take an old scarf, a guitar without strings, a rusty trumpet or broken drumsticks, and I approach them with hope. I do the same with people. As a result, my life transforms just as my art transforms.
Enjoy!
Janet Tanguay is a visual mixed media artist who grew up in Vermont and has been living in Upstate New York for the past 20 years. She is also a Creativity Coach and Artist Representative and assists other artists in selling their work. [
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