Sustainable Art

While art has the ability to make our planet even more beautiful, it must be created with our beautiful planet in mind. I consider every element of my work to make sustainable choices with paints, surfaces, processes and packaging.

Paints

I work with natural clay paint and second hand acrylics that would otherwise be going to waste. Unlike oil paints, these are free from toxic chemical components. While I buy from second hand sites like Ebay, many of my paints were actually my late Granny’s, or come from friends who try painting briefly and are then left with tubes of unwanted paint. (If this sounds like you, please let me know and I’ll happily buy your paints!).

Surfaces

Most of my work is created on 100% recycled card. The card is made in the UK from raw consumer and commercial waste that comes from UK or EU mills. I sometimes work on second hand canvasses or wooden boards, which I tend to find in charity shops.

Processes

I operate a zero waste policy in my studio. Both clay paint and acrylics dry incredibly quickly which means I only put tiny amounts onto my palette. Anything I don’t use is left to dry before being peeling off into my ‘dry-paint’ area which, one day, will be used to make a new piece of art. Brushes are never rinsed in the sink but swilled in a shallow pot of water which is then left to evaporate, leaving a small residue which is scraped and collected for future use. Old brushes that can no longer be used in the studio go to my children’s nursery – helping the next generation of artists blossom!

Packaging

When packing a finished painting, I use 100% recycled tissue paper to protect the painting and used packaging materials to encase it. Once paintings are received, I would love for these materials to be re-reused again directly (rather than just put in the recycling).

If you have any questions, or suggestions for how I can make my work more sustainable, please get in touch.