Kahn said the Green Piece show required all artworks to use nothing but recycled materials – things the artist was going to throw away otherwise – or found objects.
Tryon Painters and Sculptors held a similar show just a few years back. Kahn said a close friend sparked the idea when she took an old chair and through decoupage covered it with National Geographic covers. TPS ran with that thought in mind and decided to host a recycled materials show.
“People get excited because it makes them aware of the environment,” Kahn said. “It makes you think about what we’re throwing away and what can really be used to create art of real value.”
Kahn said Bernard Eiserloh, for example, who placed in the show, usually creates beautifully symmetrical ironwork pieces but with this project he stretched his creativity. Eiserloh’s piece in this show is more whimsical and far from strictly symmetrical as it has unique curves and twists in the metal and even has moving parts. Eiserloh’s piece is one of many from the show that have already sold.
The show itself was rated as a people’s choice meaning that attendees voted on their favorite pieces.
Placing in the pedestal/floor category were second place winner Eiserloh with his scrap metal work entitled “Super Forest Fire Fighter” and third place finisher Mike Seagle with his mixed media piece, “Bomb Flyte.”
Placing in the hanging category were Catherine Gurri with her second-place mixed media work, “Tortured Souls,” and third place winner Diana Gurri with her mixed media piece, “Artemis.”
The show will run through March 31. TPS is open every Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., but Kahn said interested art lovers could also come by to see the works when the gallery is open for classes. Those times are Tuesdays-Fridays from 9:30 a.m. – noon.