Three Monks: Heads, hands, and feet are composed of coconut.
Artist: Manuel Cortez
Business name: Organic Transformations
Location: Anaheim, California
Website:
Organic Transformations

Manuel, how do you describe your work?
I start with a coconut or a gourd and transform it into something totally unique. This is why I chose Organic Transformations as my business name.
What is your creative process like?
My creative process comes to me while I am in dream state. That means that even when I am sleeping, I am working on my art. During my dream, I work on this project from start to finish. When I awake, I put …read more

Some of Alyice’s favorite jars
Artist: Alyice Edrich
Location: South Dakota
Websites & Blogs:
Alyice Edrich
The Dabbling Mum blog
Good Mourning Lord
How do you describe your work, Alyice?
“Art from the heart.”
Currently, I simply create with abstract intentions but as I learn and progress with my talents I’d like to be able to incorporate memorabilia from people’s personal lives and family histories.
Why did you choose to create art out of recycled jars?
Because I wasn’t very talented as a traditional painter and I wanted to paint. Seriously though, my daughter had this old root beer bottle that she wanted to keep. There was nothing …read more

Technique Tuesday!
I just can’t help it! As soon as the leaves start to turn, I’ve got to go outside and gather them up. You’d think that I’ve never seen colored leaves before, the way I have to hoard them.
I realized that I’ve done a lot of projects in the past that used the colored autumn leaves, so just in case any of you are as nuts about them as I am, I thought I’d gather up some of the tutorial links for you
Transparent digital backgrounds
A photographic collage
Flowers from colored leaves
Chlorophyll prints
Leaf silhouette paper, part …read more

Little Cowboy
Artist: Pallas Vititoe
Business name: Threads In Time by Pallas
Location: Hemet, CA and Rineyville, KY
Website & Blog:
Threads in Time
Threads in Time blog

Shy Girl
Pallas, how do you describe your work?
I describe my work as vintage fabric and mixed media art quilt collage. I love to work with old fabrics, lace, buttons, sewing notions, ephemera and photographs. I chose to name my creations Threads In Time by Pallas, not only to reflect the physical threads of the old textiles, but also to reflect the threads in time each piece travels in an imaginary journey. I added …read more

Down the Iron Gated Alleys
Artist: Molly Friedrich
Business name: Dangerous Detritus
Location: Underbridge Manor, Seattle
Website & Blog:
Porkshanks
Flickr album
Upcoming Show:
Anachrotechnofetishism, Sept 12 through October 3, 2008

The Essence Combi-matrix
Molly, how do you describe your life and your work?
Well, I was born and raised on a parallel Earth. I grew up in a time period you would consider the future, roughly equivalent to your early 2300s. Our society developed quite a bit differently than this
world and our Science Artists had created things like the Reality Engine which was a machine that allowed one to access and tweak the very laws of matter and …read more

Art Attack Thursday!

Milk Carton Catchers from Replayground
There are so many clever people out there, and I’ve got such a backlog of projects and ideas to share with you that I’ll never get finished if I just take them one at a time! So, I’ve decided to share a bunch with you and let you decide which tickle your fancy the most. These links are all Cyndi-tested (for what that’s worth!), and this batch all consist of recycling projects
Milk carton catchers (shown above!)
Turn a soda bottle into a candy dish
Handbags from wooly blankets
Rag rug tutorial
Guy Marsden’s electronic artwork …read more

Fly Me To The Moon (flying saucer)
Artist: Randy Hill
Business name: Art Foundango
Location: Salem, Oregon
Website & Blog:
Art Foundango
Art Foundango blog

Sanctuary (bird assemblage)
How do you describe your work, Randy?
I officially create assemblage art, but it’s something I’ve done since I was a young boy. I was raised on a farm in central Texas near Austin and I would accompany my father to the town dumping grounds on the weekends to get rid of our farm trash. While we were there I would go “treasure hunting” and find cool things that other people had thrown away. When I got back …read more

Bottle cap card and necklace
Artist: Angela Mabray
Business name: Crafty Goat
Location: Yukon, Oklahoma
Website & Blog:
Crafty Goat store
Crafty Goat blog

Two-sided magnetic dishwasher sign
What is your creative process like?
In life, I’m a pretty organized person. In art, not so much. I think that’s part of what attracts me to art — the freedom and release. I’ve never been the type to sketch out what I’m going to do at my clay table… I just sit down with a vague idea and go!
I find it very easy to get into the flow of working, and very frustrating when I’m interrupted from …read more

What’s Up Wednesday
The Recycling Rag, the newsletter of Eco-Artware is a lot of fun. If you’re not receiving it, you’re missing great pieces like this:

Moth by Michelle Stitzlein
Visit the link above and sign up for the newsletter…you won’t be sorry!

Amos & Angie
Artist: Anitra Cameron
Business name: Coffee Pot People
Location: Portland, OR
Website & Blog:
Coffee Pot People blog
Coffee Pot People etsy shop
How do you describe your work, Anitra?
Quirky and funny, most of the time. To me, it’s high praise when someone walks up to my booth at a show and starts laughing!
I chose the name because that’s what I was making at the time–Coffee Pot People. Now, of course, I’ve added Tea Kettle Characters, China Blossoms, and Mega Blossoms. I also have greeting and note cards, some of which feature jointed paper dolls made from images of the Coffee Pot …read more