E(art)h Day Q&A

In honour of Earth Day, we chatted with two artists from our community, Carla Dopazo and Jeh Philodimos , to talk about creativity and sustainability in their art practices. Thank you Carla and Jeh for sharing your knowledge and we hope it inspires you all!

Carla

What has furniture as a canvas taught you about creativity?

Using furniture as a canvas has taught me that possibilities are endless. Nothing is exactly what you see but how you decide to perceive it. For example, a coffee table that someone throws in the garbage can be a wonderful forest at my house. With my vision, I have the power to decide that. And that to me is magic.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

I am inspired by nature and colours. A walk in the park is my best inspirational tool, being able to perceive all the colours and all the shapes of the leaves, the clouds, the rocks, etc it is nurturing for my spirit and creative brain, it opens my mind and eyes to new perspectives all the time.

Where does sustainability come into your art practice?

I started my art practice by giving a second chance to furniture that was found in the garbage. 75% of my house's furniture is second-hand or found in the street, with a bit of love and some paint I transformed them into 1 of a kind pieces that otherwise would be in a landfill. I also help other people to give a second chance to their furniture when it is still functional instead of throwing it away because they don't like the colour.

I also always try to work with paints that are low on VOC, which means that they have reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds, meaning they don't off-gas as much as traditional paints. I also don't work with a professional palette to mix colours, I reuse the foam tray from groceries since those have a very low recyclable rate, usually, it has a Resin Identification Code (RIC) of #6, this one is the less recyclable of them all, so I try to reuse those as much as I can.

What are other ways you practise sustainability in your daily life?

I am currently trying to reduce the amount of plastic I buy since just around 10% is what gets actually recycled. It is a bit hard because everything comes in plastic nowadays, but I try to choose as wisely as I can. Also, when I do buy something that has plastic I try to look for ways of reusing it. Like my Yogurt containers are transformed into plant pots or as storage for dry food like rice, coffee beans, etc. And I try to stay as informed as I can about what can be done and how can help.

Jeh

How would you describe your style when it comes to your illustration and design work?

I am passionate and organized in life, and I think that reflects everything else. My illustrations are about things I love and appreciate and they are full of patience and details, same goes for my design work process.

You started your creative journey in fast fashion. Tell us how you got to where you are now?

I guess I was just going with the flow, opportunities would appear and I would embrace the new challenges, and if something did not resonate with me anymore, I would not keep doing it (like a career in fashion design).

What advice can you share with other artists trying to have a more sustainable practice?

I would say to start where you can, small changes go a long way. Reducing waste is huge, exchanging disposable things for reusable ones, like paper towels and cheap materials that become garbage too fast. Reusing things as much as you can, like, I have a pile of paper for drafts that I save to use the other side

What are other ways do you practice sustainability in your daily life?

Same thing: I try to reduce waste as much as I can: exchange paper towels for fabric ones, regular sponges for biodegradable ones, repurpose and reuse things as much as I can, avoid buying things I don't really need. For apparel and fashion (the industry is terrible for the environment) I prefer thrifting or exchanging clothes with friends. I don't focus on being perfect, but I definitely try to do my best with my circumstances.