The current show of art using recycling materials, titled TrashFormation, opened at the Arts Centre on July 29. You might think it would simply be piles of discarded junk, scorned by the art world. It is not. This juried show of about 40 artists incorporates the artist’s eye into the development of painting, mixed media and sculptural items, though all of the works are made from what we throw away. Yes, blue plastic abounds, a substance that clogs the oceans these days, but in one case it has been incorporated into an evening gown as in Tam Harrington’s Notre Ocean Bleu (pictured). Some artists show the dark side of our cavalier attitude towards garbage as in Sheila Page’s two-sided mobile. Shelimar Lakowski uses rusty metal bits to make elaborate, attractive frames for vintage illustrations. Phillip Jagger repurposes a manual typewriter and a Portuguese book to make a statement. The show is on until Aug. 19 at the Arts Centre in Sechelt (Trail and Medusa). See www.sunshinecoastartscouncil.com for more.
