Monthly Archives: May 2022
When I was a young girl, I’d often visit my Grandmom Moore in Ardmore, PA. On one afternoon, a freak occurrence happened that forever changed (enhanced!) my lifetime artistic arc.
I was running around, shooting rubber bands at the walls in her living room, and one of the rubber bands got stuck behind the glass on a framed piece of artwork. She scolded me, trying to pick off the rubber band from the surface of the glass, but then noticed it had lodged in place behind it.
She spent a good 10 minutes retrieving the rubber band with things from her sewing kit, mumbling, “Well, that will never happen again.”
All probabilities aside – and ideas already germinating in my head – I decided that would not be the case.
Flash forward 40+ years later, and I’m still making these pieces, quite a few lately to relieve the stress of pandemic isolation. They always brighten my mood as soon as I start working on them. They are fun to make, and my repertoire now includes the original friction-fit framed rubber band pieces I’ve done for many years, along with paintings and lamps that incorporate rubber bands.
My work with rubber band art is largely recycled art with a mixed-media bend to it. I rescue frames, find old construction paper and office supplies at yard sales, on “freebie” tables, and even in people’s trash.
This piece was constructed from a rescued frame with somewhat bleached-out, repurposed construction paper:
Another rescued frame piece, using rescued green cardboard gotten from a pile of old paper material I found in a local dumpster:
This lamp was made from an old glass lamp base that was once filled with seashells (by the seashore!) and an old lampshade found near someone’s trash with a “FREE” sign on it. I used the shells for a kitchen decor item…and the magazine next to the lamp is a February, 2020 issue of The Economist titled, “A united Ireland:”
The red and black-themed piece below uses a repainted wooden frame, a portion of a recycled sign that was black on one side, and a bag of tri-colored rubber bands that complement the theme quite nicely:
All of the above are available for sale; please inquire within.
Enjoy! And please check back for new pieces, which will be added to a new ART section on this site.
Yours in Great Health,
Alison