Garbage is Garbage

. . . until it isn't anymore.

I'm definitely not one of those people who keeps everything because I might use it later. 

In fact, at one point in my life I had a rule that I couldn't own more than 100 things (1. Toothbrush. 2. Computer. 3. Pencil . . . ).  After a while I failed to see the point in that exercise and dropped the unrealistic standard.  

Still.  That mindset kind of follows me around. 

I hate "stuff."  

It's kind of ironic, considering I'm an artist.  

All art is is "stuff . . . " right?

Today I looked at a piece of wood that I'd been using to draw on or to accidentally drip paint on or to generally abuse.  It had newspaper stuck all over it from when I soaked up a paint spill and only sort of cleaned up after myself. I had been planning to just chuck it or burn it or something.  

For some reason that didn't seem like the right choice to me this time.

I coated it in a layer of glue so as to properly seal all the junk that had dried or gotten stuck on its surface.  Then I made a couple drawings on tracing paper (so the texture would show through) and glued them on as well.  

The piece is only just started, but it's made of garbage.

Not scraps I saved to make into art . . . just garbage.  

Maybe it won't be garbage by the time I'm through.

Here's hoping.

To see the art piece I eventually made from the garbage, click here.