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Art Show: Repurposed: Art from Recycled Materials

Wasp Nest

by Sara Field

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Art: Wasp Nest by Artist Sara Field
I was watching Cameron Diaz on the Jay Leno show explaining how she can't seem to throw anything away and re-uses everything from tissue wrapping to yogurt cups. It was so refreshing to see one of the rich and famous being so thrifty, and as a result being kind to mother earth as well.

As I was saving the empty toilet paper rolls, stacking them like logs, waiting to be put in the big green recycling dumpsters behind the supermarket, they started reminding me of honeycomb or perhaps a wasp nest. And like the slow, meticulous building of a nest, each day my stash grew a little bit bigger.

After gluing them together, I found other bits of trash such as egg cartons, both the newer plastic ones and the older cardboard type and layered the egg cups to form the pupas. Each developing paper wasp has a smiley face thanks to a junk mail offer for a children's magazine subscription. Having a stash of dryer lint, I shaped the sectioned bodies of the two wasps. I learned that there are different 'grades' of dryer lint. Choose the finest, softest lint you can find, as the rougher stuff doesn't stick together as well. I have also found that dryer lint is quite hairy and not all that pleasant to work with as I dipped it in floured water and rolled the result in my fingers.

My son plays wicked guitar and goes through a lot of strings which I just find fascinating...all those pretty, springy coils, so chopped, used guitar strings form the legs, antenna and connect the head, metasoma and mesosoma together.

No. 6 plastic works just like shrinky dink in the oven, so the workers wings were cut from the lid of a taco bell salad take-out, painted brownish and baked to perfection.

You might also have noticed some burger king on the outside of the nest. I was going to use the plain side of the bag to add some stability and depth but decided to let let it show.

The materials used that were not recycled are flour, water, glue and paint.


Detail Images


Detail Image for art Wasp Nest

Detail Image for art Wasp Nest

Detail Image for art Wasp Nest

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