Feature:

I Heart Art!

By pepin

At last! My art masterpiece is finished, and I call this “Tin Can Treasures.”

This is a modified Paper Mache, which is a type of artwork that uses pieces of paper that are glued together to form a figure. If you are familiar with a Paper Mache, you would always compare it to a sculpture, but only made of paper and wet paste. I used the principles of this form of art to make a sort of painting for my bedroom wall.

So how did I work on it? first I collected all sorts of garbage at home (non-biodegradables), like an old fluorescent lamp, a pair of slippers, mineral water bottles, plastic cups, calculators, batteries, mobile phones, lady’s fan, and toys. Then I assembled them on a marine plywood that is about 1.5 meter high and 0.75 meter wide. I was lucky enough, because I was able to recycle a plywood that was shaped like a trash can (and I think that’s how I was inspired to name it that way).

After setting everything in place, I coated the materials with newspaper and wet paste for several times. It was quite messy and tricky, but I listened to music while doing this step. For the last layer, I decided to use toilet paper instead of newspaper to give my artwork a fine buff. Then to finish it off, I painted it by combining the basic colors only, but the end result is vivid and exciting to the eyes.

It is now hanging freely on my wall. It took me for about two weeks to finally see the finished product, and it feels superb. It’s heart-warming because I did something with my own bare hands. What’s great is that I was able to save thousands of pesos, because I could have bought a painting for my wall. But for only two hundred pesos, I was able to make something different and showcased my ingenuity. Not to mention, I helped save mother earth. Imagine the benefits of this!

I admit that I do have a taste of art, and I know “what’s art” and “what’s not,” maybe. Since I was a little kid, I love to work on used things, like I would assemble them and form something new. Craft (as in art craft, not witchcraft) is one of my secret weapons that make me an extraordinary person. I believe that millions of people do not know how to mix colors or cut-out paper. Not everyone is gifted with creativity, and I’m lucky that I got it… well, that’s according to my relatives and friends.

But honestly, it’s fun to do artworks and it raises my self-esteem and self-worth. Even if I am doing it alone, I still enjoy it. It erases ghastly memories on my thoughts and it lets me ponder on how wonderful life is. Not to mention, it is an effective stress-reliever. Former president Cory Aquino is a painter herself, and maybe we have the same reasons why we love to do art – for personal satisfaction and love for the gift of God.