Eco Art by mayah(c)2019 "Spring Flowers" 9" x 13"
This was a rather challenging art piece to make. My friend LFIRE* gifted me with the twelve small 3" x 2.5" rectangles made of natural coconut husk.** I laid them out on my art table in the grid you see here, and immediately wanted to piece them together. After two failed attempts at using embroidery floss to tie the pieces together (the floss was not sturdy enough to keep the cross threads from collapsing), the decision was made to use jute twine instead. Each piece of coconut husk was brittle, so I started out by gluing Rhimax (100% recycled paper product)*** on the back of each piece. Holes were punched and the labor intensive process of weaving the pieces together with the jute was begun. I hit on the idea of turning the pieces up-side-down on a large piece of cardboard and using masking tape to keep each piece in place while weaving the jute through the holes, then gluing down the jute ends. I was very surprised and pleased after removing all of the tape to find that this art panel holds together very nicely and the jute is sturdy and stiff enough to keep its shape. Two jute "loops" were added on top for hanging.
Most of the flowers are from around my neighborhood, picked up from the sidewalk after having fallen off of the trees or shrubs on which they grew. The exceptions are the dandelions that I picked from my front yard and the bird-of-paradise petals that were taken from my front yard plants. The flowers/petals were dried, and, for this project, coated with matte acrylic**** to help keep them from decaying and give them some flexibility.
"Eco Art by mayah" utilizes recycled and earth-friendlier materials whenever possible.
*LFIRE: Curezone Blog "Dreaming a New Reality": https://www.curezone.org/blogs/f.asp?f=471
**Loose Ends Unleashed-- Handmade Papers, Fibers, Textiles, Assorted Ephemera: https://looseends.com/
***Rhimax: 100% Recycled paper product: https://www.marylandpaper.com/products
****AFM Safecoat AcriGlaze: https://www.afmsafecoat.com/products/clear-finishes/safecoat-acriglaze-gloss-and-matte
MORE ART BLOGS:
EcoArt: Easter/Resurrection Festival https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2424028
Assemblages: "Discard/Toss" https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2423918
Cardboard Redux: https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2423605
Eco Art: Spring Equinox! https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2423102
Eco Art: Honoring LFIRE https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2423061
Eco Art: "Pass It On" Greeting Cards https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2422088
Eco Art: Cardboard Creations https://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2423058