One of my outdoor art projects last year involved a recycled table top, leftover house paint and new acrylic Posca pens. I’m forever grateful to my husband for doing the grunt work of washing, sanding, priming and painting the background. I then drew out a large sun radiating light beams that he expertly painted with the same color as our house. And there the object sat for the rest of the summer and most of the autumn while I procrastinated in the garden.

On one of the final warm days of fall knowing that I had limited time left to finish, I spent a very pleasant day outside on the patio listening to music and creating designs with my Posca pens. I have enjoyed creating mandalas in the past and this project was very therapeutic in its symmetry and simplicity just like a traditional mandala. At some point the addition of one color pulled the entire piece together into sacred geometry. The process was complete.

My Posca pens were so much fun to use that I felt compelled to find another project. This month I pulled out a $3 hanging wall kit from Target that had been languishing in a drawer for months and knew what I had to do. In the dark and dreary days of January a celestial theme seemed just the ticket to dispel my cold weather blues. So another sun was born using the gold metallic pen, and a shimmery moon with a metallic silver appeared on the other side. And of course they had to have faces!

Thus begins a new art year full of unfinished projects and potential materials both inside and out. In 2024 I hope to finish one art project per month and feature all twelve on this blog. Wish me luck and if my creative recycling and scavenging processes inspire you to take the leap, I highly encourage you to do so. There is nothing more energizing than making treasure out of trash and beauty out of blandness.