Courtesy Photo
Jessica Louise Camp, an artist in Fayetteville, sets up her “Synthetic Garden” installation at the Fayetteville Underground. Camp uses materials that would otherwise be thrown in the trash.
The beauty of recycling is plain to see, but with upcycled art, the beauty is taken to the next level. This Earth Day, let’s celebrate the artists in Northwest Arkansas who are actively seeking to benefit the Earth in colorful, creative and sustainable ways.
Krystal Thomas, a local environmental and sustainable artist is turning trashy into classy with her pieces of art.
“I am a self-taught maker,” she said. “I spend my days working in my family’s natural bakery, Ozark Natural Breads, and my nights, upcycling trash. Striving to live a sustainable lifestyle is so, very important to me, and my hobbies along with my career reflect that.”
Going by the name of “Trashy Trashy Trash,” Thomas is using garbage, mainly beer cans, to create bright and fun pieces of jewelry. Her pieces utilizing trash include necklaces, bracelets, wreaths, earrings, and even her display materials. Outside of beer cans she also works with mediums such as glass bottles, and does screen printing — bringing her love for the themes of paranormal/cryptozoology alive.
The most popular of Thomas’ jewelry are her ‘beerings,’ which are just what they sound like — earrings made from beer cans.
Her collection features cans collected from breweries all throughout the United States and creates the jewelry pieces to appreciate the artwork that goes into the cans. She treats each can that she finds as a new gem, appreciating and utilizing each detail that has gone into the product.
Thomas finds a lot of her motivation and inspiration nowadays from the rapid growth of the local breweries here in Northwest Arkansas.
“Although I have been making art from trash for eight years, I am so excited with all of our local brews now being made available in cans,” Thomas said. “It allows for the local love to continue and for us to be able to work together.”
Thomas’ inspiration and goals are based on helping the Earth and minimizing waste by creating from trash.
“All types of trash and nature are what inspire me,” Thomas said. “I look at trash and then begin to see what new lives that it can lead. There is colorful and creative potential in everything. I know I am one person, but I can make a difference. Every little bit counts and I strive to never lose sight of that.
“Crafts and craft beer are meant for each other.”
Courtesy Photo | Krystal Thomas, a Fayetteville artist, works with beer cans and other garbage items to remake them into jewelry for her Etsy page “Trashy Trashy Trash.”
If you like what Thomas is doing with her sustainable and upcycled jewelry, you can find her under Trashytrashytrash on Etsy, Instagram, and Facebook. Her “beerings” are also available for purchase at Ozark Beer Company in Rogers, Ark., and will soon be sold in the storefront of Fossil Cove in Fayetteville. Thomas will also have a booth at The Little Craft Show in Springdale on May 7.
Another local artist who is passionate about upcycling while working with a combination of trash and nature through installation art is Jessica Louise Camp.
Camp found her passion for sustainable and environmental art while working in the retail and food industries.
“I was appalled by the amount of waste that was occurring and knew I could do something about it while fueling my love for art,” said Camp, who began sneaking discarded mannequins and display materials out of the back door, saving them from their inevitable demise in a landfill.
“The things that I started taking home were made out of plastics that couldn’t even be recycled. Then I began making installations out of them.”
Along with mannequins and discarded display materials, Camp has also created dazzling installations utilizing used pill bottles, cardboard, scrapped wood, paper clippings, outdated calendars, old shower curtains, broken jewelry and other various garbage items.
Courtesy Photo
Jessica Louise Camp sets up her beeswax chandelier installation in the Fayetteville Underground.
“I have been creating art my entire life with an impulsive need to create,” she said. “I love showcasing a juxtaposition of art and nature through my installations by creating nature scenes out of trash. I feel that by doing this I can help people to see beauty in even the most simple of things.”
Nature is something that Camp also works with directly. One of her most successful and well-featured installations is titled, “Weeping Lamentation.”
This installation involves dozens of hand-molded sculptures made from beeswax that Camp harvested and then hangs from the ceiling making what looks like a completely natural, oversized chandelier.
“More than anything I want people to view my art and see the beauty in what we discard every single day,” Camp said. “I want for them to be challenged and think consciously about what we are doing with the trash in our world.”
You can find Camp’s latest installation, “Big Naturals” located on the lawn at UCA or contact her through her artist page on Facebook.
If you know of any other sustainable and environmental artists, give them a high-five and let them know how much you and Mother Nature appreciate their efforts in making our world a better place. Happy Earth Day!
