Amazing Feats of Creativity, from the Recycled Arts Festival

The Recycled Arts Festival has been happening across the river in Vancouver, WA for several years, but thanks to Terra, this year I finally attended. And I’m so glad I did!

It was fun to see an array of really talented artists, all of whom make beautiful things from old stuff. And many of them were totally new to me.

Above there is one of my favorites: Steve Dietel’s bottlecap-encrusted chair. Check out his website: Howling Heights.

I also enjoyed meeting Janet and Vonda of Tiffany on a Stick. This was their first weekend in business! Their garden stakes, made from a gorgeous array of glassware, are incredible. I’m sure they’ll be a great success. (Follow that link to their Facebook fan page and you can keep up on them.)

Here are some truly cute felted hats by Leslie McCray of Sweater Heads. (Visit that link to her Etsy shop – she’s a master with the shapes.)

I really love Chris Tymoshuk’s coffee can lamps, which are wired up with a bulb inside. Check out the Etsy shop for some even more intricate ones.

Imagine a group of these hanging in a corner of your sun porch. And now I’m jealous of your sun porch.

It was also nice to see a few local friends there. Anitra Cameron makes these awesome giant garden blooms from old china. (You can see an interview I did with her a while back over here.)

Christine Claringbold has added these freaking awesome garden pinwheels, made from old vinyl records, to her line. They look so cool, spinning in the breeze. (Come to think of it, I interviewed Christine a while back, too.)

…And Megan Klepp makes these amazing garden gazing balls from bowling balls and marbles. I love them! (There’s a past interview with Megan as well.)

In addition to all the crafty goodness, there was a pretty interesting social experiment: Tossed and Found. Here you see just a fraction of the perfectly-good things Waste Connections, Inc. and Columbia Resource Company found at transfer stations over a three-month period. Everything was on display in this big tent – and it really is amazing what people will throw away.

Anyway, everything was later raffled off to the public, for free. Pretty cool, huh?

There’s more to see in my Flickr set, if you’re interested.