The term "found object art" has so many meanings.  For my sculptures I prefer the term "trash art" because my work is focused on discarded objects.  I use materials as diverse as lunch boxes, potato chip bags, mop handles and metal barbecues.  The beauty of trash art is that it asks us to see commonplace objects in a new way.  It gives us the opportunity to reconsider the meaning and worth of the most mundane aspects of our lives.  It is essentially about transformation. 

Current crises such as the Covid pandemic, and floods and mega-fires due to global warming, point out the effects of social inequalities.  Who are "essential workers"?  And how do we value them?  Maybe what is mundane is the same as what is essential.  Meanwhile issues of waste disposal, increasing mountains of single-use plastic, lack of markets for recyclables, as well as concern for the health of the planet and the search for sustainable lifestyles continue to be urgent global issues.   

Prior to 2017 I worked primarily in digital images derived from photography.  I usually began an image by sampling many free stock photos which I then combined with digital drawing, painting and manipulation. Examples of sites specializing in images without copyright restrictions are Pixabay and Morguefile.  I would especially like to thank all the photographers who make their work available to the public.  Below are listed many stock photographs I have used in the creation of my images (links are provided where they are working).

TIGER
 
Tigers 3 by WIlliam Picard
On the prowl by Peter Zullo
Warsaw's Zoo, Tiger 3 by Marcin Cudzik
Warsaw's Zoo, Tiger 5 by Marcin Cudzik
Tiger by Murat Agirbas
Deep Thought by Michelle Vipond
Tiger in a Zoo by Thomas Informater
A Fish by Rodolfo Belloli
At the Beach 1 by Anita Levesque
Brenno by Bogdan Szewczyk
Kayaking 2 by Leszek Nowak
Idyllic Beach by Jacqueline Fouche
Little Fisher by Miguel Saavedra
Angling by Valdas Zajanckauskas

LION
 
Graffiti by Unsplash
Cheetah Paw by Nick Jewel
Lion Relaxing by Nick Jewell
Roar by SMercury98
Going to Investigate a dog! by MacJewell
The Hunt! by MacJewell
Ready to Pounce? by jimbowen0306
Lion Roaring by AndWat
Lion by bobainswort
Lion by Stig Nygaard
Reciprokken on Flickr