Fused Plastic

Who knew ...

I have a fascination with the different qualities of various kinds of plastic bags. Depending on the thickness, surface quality, and content, they can be resurrected as art materials. But not all plastic bags are created equal. 

For this work, I paint dry cleaning film and other lighter-weight bags (vegetable bags, newspaper sleeves) with metallic acrylic paints and then fuse them in layers, sometimes on heavier-weight substrates, to create luminous fabrics that can be sewn or additionally fused into 2D and 3D pieces. 

I have made wall pieces and jewelry using this technique, inviting viewers to wonder what they are looking at and whether (or where) they have seen it before.