Plastic yarn mat

I'm making a round mat from plastic bags and soft plastics 

from things like SES tape that I find wrapped around trees

and bushes after all the debris has been cleared away.

The mat just keeps growing...

Mexican Tin Nicho

I made a Mexican alter or Nicho from a foil cooking tray for an art therapy project kit I am working on. It's very easy to cut with scissors even though its a sturdy material and looks just like tin!

So instead of a Mexican 'Day of the Dead' effigy sitting in the nicho I have a seated buddha.

The stained glass window

I did a stained glass course years ago when I was living in Perth thinking that one day I might use 

the skills I learnt. Well I actually did. I fixed these glass windows which were being stored in a cupboard in the house I am living in. They were in bits and pieces so I had to work out the original design from what was still held together and put both windows back together. I did this a few years ago but I was just admiring my handy work the other day and thought I would share my joy at the job I did! 

Recycling old fabric into dresses

I made these two dresses from old fabric I had stored away. Why not use the fabric from old clothes or a bed sheet I bought in India and cut out different pieces of the patterns and stitch them together to form a simple sew dress, the classic wraparound.

Who says that everything has to match! Much more interesting making clothes this way. And it cost me next to nothing.

Cushions from material scraps

A friend gave me some fabric samples that I made into cushions.

I used heavy duty velcro to close the side seam cause I was too lazy to sew a zipper

and stuffed them with old bed pillow stuffing.

I hate to throw them into land fill so this is a great way to 

recycle the plastic fibre stuffing.

Making a hanging clay sculpture representing parts of the self.

Two clay face sculptures that I made in a art therapy group I ran recently. They represent different parts of myself that I have identified with. The face hidden behind fabric is the introvert part of myself that likes to be quiet and meditative. The green leafy vine face with the lady bird is the part that is passionate about the environment.

Project idea - Reading Faces

New art project I have just started. 

Drawing facial expressions in close up onto pale wood panels

 inspired by my work as an Art therapist. 

Does it reveal the true feeling behind the mask and how hard is it to read peoples faces?

Check it out more on instagram  @robbiart65

New idea for crocheting plastic

Here I am again crocheting in plastic yarn or 'plarn'. 

This is a start of a big basket with the sides just starting to emerge.

This will take a few plastic bags to complete. 

Another useful and creative way to recycle plastic bags...keeping them out of landfill, YAY!

Doll assemblage

I made this doll assemblage in a sculpture class at Hazelhurst art centre in Gymea Sydney. I found a doll in Vinnies shop and dismantled it. I also found the trinket box in the same store and assembled the parts to form a wall sculpture with a real tree branch growing from the dolls head and a real nest in the fork of the branch. There is a little bird ceramic sitting on the shoulder and the head and a cut glass bird hanging down from the branch that I bought from a local glass artist.

What is your interpretation of this art piece?

Crochet plastic bag finished!

Finally here is the finished bag. It took many plastic bags to make it but 

it was bags of fun and very easy to make.

If you are a dedicated recycler like me this is a great way

to reuse all those hideous plastic shopping bags although I had to ask 

friends to supply me with bags as I only use green shopping bags!

Plastic Bag Crochet

I've started to crochet with plastic bag yarn to reduce the amount of bags that get sent to landfill. I don't think I will ever run out of yarn!

One Day at a Time

Here's the latest art project using a motivational saying, also a exercise in layering colours, textures and stencils. Sometimes just getting through one day at a time is all it takes!

Clay house for a tea-light candle

I recently made a house for a tea-light candle from airdry clay for a group activity. Very simple process, you just roll the clay into a flat slab then cut out the sides of the house using a template

Clay Bell

This clay bell was made in an art group I facilitated on the theme of using the sound of the bell to meditate on and to focus the mind on this moment. The clay disc at the top of the bell reads 'Breathe' and the letter beads spell out 'Today'. I carved a wave design into the bell and used an old earring for the chime, a peacock feather made from metal.

Words of Wisdom

I made this wire hanging by covering flexible wire with wool and adding

decorate finishes like a fabric lace doiley, feathers, shells, pearl beads, letter beads (saying 'take a risk') to create an art piece to inspire 'Courage' when I need it! Everyday then...

Garden Box Diorama from Berlin

I bought this beautiful little garden diorama at a Berlin fleamarket 

as an A4 flat pack, which I then had to construct.

 The box dimensions are 6cm square.

A tiny reminder of the beauty of the gardens in Berlin.

French Knitting

My first french knitting project. A knitted necklace.

Next I'm using multicoloured yarn; variety is the spice of life!

Small canvas art

Small canvases I sell at the local art markets.

At the moment I'm in my collage phase

Art central

My studio.

Like thousands of artists around the globe, making art in small spaces!

Art Cards

Handmade Art cards to sell at the markets using my notebook doodles