Let’s Talk Trash: The Art of Upcycling

Upcycle: to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item: to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value) . . . Merriam - Webster

I don’t know about you, but I love to repurpose, recycle and upcycle and I’ve done it for decades. Grab a cold one because I’m going to share my favorite project with you and it’s a GREAT one!

If you are from the Baton Rouge area and like to walk, I’m sure you have spent time at the LSU Lakes. If not, think of your favorite park that is also a habitat for wildlife. Now envision the habitat slowly dying because of invasive plants. This has been the state of the LSU Lakes system for over a decade, until last year when a massive 18 million dollar restoration project began. The dredging began in August 2023 which requires significant draining of the lakes. With the extreme temperatures and lack of rain, the lakes began to take on an Armageddon look. It also revealed that invasive plants weren’t the only thing polluting the water. The dried lake bed looked like a garbage dump; bottles, golf balls, hub caps, tires, and even an album and a game boy.

There were so many bottles that someone had made piles of them in several places that looked like bonfires. Pardon the pun, but this sparked an idea. I can’t take credit for the idea, it was my friend Beth who commented “some artist should do something with that stuff.” Three more miles of walking and about a mile into the drive home, the light bulb finally lit up, I knew exactly how this artist would upcycle a pile of lake garbage into collectable art. The bottles go through a lengthy process of soaking, cleaning, breaking and tumbling before the glass is ready for use in mixed media artwork.

This project has become a labor of love as it is time consuming; however, doing my little part to make the habitat cleaner and bring awareness to the problem is worth every moment. I absolutely love the challenge of creating art with these upcycled supplies.

“Monarch Madness” is the first piece released in the ongoing Don’t Trash Me Collection. The flower’s center is a collection of paint and various shades of brown glass. This beauty is already sold, but giclee prints are available at www.itsaLori.com.

Newsletter subscribers will be the FIRST TO KNOW when a new piece drops, so make sure you join, it’s free.

The next two pieces are in the works and will be released soon!!!