Christmas Lima Bean

Christmas Lima Bean

Oil Pastel, Gesso, Wood

9 1/2 x 13 5/16 x 1 7/16"

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 I like several things about this image - the heart like shape of the bean, the tiny root climbing out the eye and the radiating pattern of color. But I have to admit, I might be more in love with the wood that I used for the substrate and the frame. The substrate and outer frame were made from wood that was originally part of a pallet that my father-in-law spotted in a ditch and picked up for me one day. I love the soft gray color of the patina. The warm brown wood from the inner frame is lath board that my cousin set aside for me when he was working on a house. I love the two colors of wood together. 

I spend a lot of time trying to minimize how much waste my family and I create. I try to recycle as much of what comes through our house as I can, my children constantly get frustrated with me because I'm repeatedly telling them not to waste water in their many attempts to sneak into the bathroom and play in the sink with animals, pipes, plungers, etc. and I sew up holes in clothing items so that they can live a little longer. I think my husband considers me a little extreme sometimes. So you can imagine how gratifying it is to being able to take materials that others felt had outlived their usefulness and turn them into something that I really enjoyed making and like to look at. In my extreme desire to reduce my impact on this earth, I feel like re-using the unusable is an accomplishment.