December 2009 Issue

If you have been conscious at all the past few years it is certain you are familiar with the term "green." Headlines abound about "greening" everything you own and it is good to see more people taking measures to be environmentally conscious. More than ever before we are aware of what we are throwing into the trash.

Instead of blindly throwing everything in the stretchy plastic bag, we consider: Is this recyclable? Can it have another life? Some even ask, Can I create beauty from this used resource, this trash?

The answer to this last question is a resounding "yes" from a couple of local artists who have been practicing green habits for years. Dave Roberts, a local sculptor, has created his works of art for more than thirty years from objects other people throw away. I met with Roberts at his home, in Red Wing, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Blanco perfectly framed by autumn's brilliant orange and yellow hues. There was no mistaking that this man works with trash. The property is strewn with pieces of bikes, propane tanks and 55-gallon barrels. Upon further inspection, Robert's art is everywhere.

Roberts deconstructed and transformed 150 bikes into a hillside scattered with happy wind devices, swirling and spinning while quietly humming in the soft fall breeze. Strange faces, carved into five-gallon propane tanks, lazily parade around the property. In one section, faces stacked one on top of the other form metal totem poles, creating a village of their very own. Roberts received thousands of these old tanks in an effort to divert them from the landfill. Unsustainable planning and engineering made tons of the round metal containers obsolete and unusable. Robert's keen eye for art saw potential for beauty.

One building is structurally supported with old refrigerators. Naturally, Roberts maximizes the utility of the old ice boxes and stores tools and small materials where someone once chilled beer! One gable end features construction entirely of sand, dirt, old latex paint and used bottles, of many sizes, that filter the light through their colored glass.

Another structure uses old paint can lids, each doused in a different color, to shingle the exterior walls. It looks like the quintessential gingerbread house. The roof of the building is covered in colorful metals, recovered from demolished barns in the area.

For the living spaces, Roberts utilizes scores of recovered items, ranging from a kitchen sink/counter/cabinet unit from Ft. Carson, to broken tiles thrown away at tile stores.

For Roberts, creating art from trash is not part of a fad or recent green movement.  Seeing the potential in trash, is a gift "which has been refined over the years," says Roberts. "Today it is more popular, but this has been my art form for three decades. I hope my work inspires others to notice more what they pitch in the trash."

Joseph Sandoval, another local artist, puts to good use what others toss aside. Sandoval's current project is painting a series of old masters on reclaimed plywood. Sandoval admits his motivation for using discarded wood for his supports was more economical than environmental, "but I feel good about doing my part," he says, "however small, to clean up and keep this out of landfills."

Sandoval usually finds his supports while walking home. "I keep my eyes open for large pieces discarded in people's yards," he says. Sandoval prefers the more distressed pieces to the perfectly smooth ones. "The old or damaged wood seems to have more character. When I paint, I incorporate that into the character I am trying to portray".

So far Sandoval has painted ten renowned artists in a flamboyant and emotive style.  "I learn about them as people," he says, "and then try to show their personality in my paintings."

With the current efforts here in Pueblo to become a zero-waste community in the near future, it is certain we will see talent emerging from those with eyes to see potential in objects littering our landfill. The rest of the planet is on a fast track to showcase the efforts of scores of emerging artists using resources someone else discarded. All you creative people of Pueblo get your trash on! Perhaps we can capitalize on the recycling movement here in our own small town to create world class works of green art.

Photo Caption: Joseph Sandoval