3 Local Artists Who are Helping the Environment Through Their Art

This month, people everywhere recognized World Health Day and International Earth Day. 

Since ReCreative opened, we have strived to fuel innovation and collaboration in the arts and environmentalism. When we created a physical space in the heart of the Santa Fe Arts District, we’ve worked hard to hold to our goal of functioning as a catalyst for social and intellectual enrichment. 

But much of the success we’ve seen has not come solely from our efforts — a major amount of the progress we’ve made comes directly from the community that surrounds us. 

While collecting creative materials that can be repurposed, recycled, and upcycled is a very large focus in our mission, actually seeing what those items become once they’re in your hands drives us even more. 

There are a number of artists in our local community who work primarily with materials they have either found or purchased from creative reuse centers like ReCreative Denver. As these artists create remarkable pieces of work, they’re also helping our planet by reducing the waste that goes into our landfills. 

We spoke to 3 of these artists who celebrate the Earth every day in their creations. They each share why eco-friendly artwork is important to them and what keeps them motivated to keep creating.

Yazmin Atmore (she/her)

Yazmin (Yazz) is a creative, community organizer, and educator here in Denver. As an educator, she mentors young artists as they explore their lives, stories, and passions through the beauty of art. Through her work with the youth in our community, she continues to develop and deepen her own artistry as an analog collagist and wheat-paste muralist. 

At her core, she’s a scatterbrained, barefoot babe who likes to dance with words, play in the spirit world, and dabble in art magic. 

Yazz uses expressionism within her intuitive mixed media art — she creates hand-cut collage works using bold colors, metallic paints, and gold leaf. Her work is heavily influenced by her spiritual journey. 

“Art is just conversations with God. My work dabbles in themes of spirituality, ancestral wisdom, nature, and afro-futurism magic. And in this practice, I believe in simply using what you have around you to create magick.”

When Yazz first started creating, all she had were old magazines laying around the house and a pair of scissors. From there collaging works came naturally to her. By only using what she had, it challenged her to think outside the box with how she approached art. Now, while she’s expanded with the types of materials she uses, a majority of her works still come from magazines. 

“I like to keep my practice simple, to be honest. I like to use what I already have. There’s a humility to it. I like the concept of ‘taking pieces from another world and creating a new world.’“ 

In a way, the worlds Yazz builds in her artwork is how she envisions the meeting grounds and portals to look when she’s dabbling in the Spirit World. 

Follow Yazmin and discover the worlds she creates in her work >

Lily Curley (she/her)

Creating art has been a constant in Lily’s life. Growing up with a mother who is a ceramic artist, Lily was always encouraged and inspired to create. Once she began to pursue her interests in collage, painting, and repurposing, she knew she had discovered something special. After receiving her BFA in Fine Art and Pre-Art Therapy in 2011, she began experimenting with different mediums, materials, and styles. 

Now, she’s homed in on her love of oil painting, visual storytelling, and adding recycled or thrifted materials to create work that’s visually exciting. 

“Embracing curiosity and experimentation is my favorite part of the artistic process. I always loved the idea that you can take a collection of mundane things and turn them into something beautiful or useful. When I use repurposed items and recycled materials it feels like a big puzzle.” 

Lily tries to share that excitement in her work with her viewers. Her hope is that it makes them take a step closer to try to figure out what materials are used. 

“I’d like to think they smile with a surprise, and possibly ask themselves what creates ‘value’ in their life. Is it the price tag, usefulness, sentimental value, age, or quantity? What is the value of the work if it took hours to create, but the materials were regarded as useless? The answer is different for everyone and everything.”

Along with past experiences, daydreaming and observations of the world around her provide Lily with the visual bases of her work. She often includes symbolism inspired by history, literature, mysticism, mythology, and current events. If the subject is dark or deeply personal, she tries to balance it with beauty, vibrant color, humor, and whimsy to make the work more accessible. 

Lily hopes that her transparency in her work allows viewers to see that while our experiences are different, the basis of what we feel is universal. She also aspires to build a mutual sense of understanding, camaraderie, and empowerment. 

By doing so, she dreams that we can all appreciate and understand ourselves, the diversity of humanity, and the nature of the world at large. 

Connect with Lily and see more of her visual creations >

Andrea Fischer (she/her)

Andrea is a fiber artist who strictly uses recycled yarn to create her one-of-a-kind soft sculptures. Her color experiments mingle with her own self-discovered technique of rug making to create whimsical, functional objects.

Andrea first started creating with yarn as a strategy to cope with the symptoms of her bipolar disorder. While this is still a valuable coping skill, she now also uses her creativity for fine art and vintage and rug restoration.

“There’s something special about making something out of nothing! I enjoy the challenge of manipulating materials to fit my needs and creating my projects using the materials I already own.”

She asks viewers of her art to relax in an altered reality valued by recycled materials and lots and lots of color. The repetition of yarn buries the existing surfaces of everyday items, shedding them of any masculinity they may portray. 

Each detail is invested towards experiencing her interactive yarn sanctuary through more tactile senses beyond the eye — its true desire is to welcome all. 

Andrea finds inspiration in the works of Liza Lou and Nick Cave, as well as in the local art community. Within that community, she’s a significant influence, especially within the realm of creating eco-friendly artworks.

“Using recycled materials allows my work to be one of a kind. In our society, we waste and throw out so much. By strictly using recycled materials and tools, I’m allowed to create art without creating a larger footprint.”

From clothing to yarn-covered furniture and full soft-sculpture installations, Andrea has no shortage of ideas as to how she can cover the world in yarn. 

Follow Andrea and see more of her works and fiber art projects >

Make More Sustainable Choices

Through their artwork, these 3 talented artists help remind us that it’s our responsibility to be stewards of the Earth. While there’s a strong vision and messaging for each creator, they also find power in the use of recycled and repurposed materials.

The creation of something new out of something old is always inspiring, but we can all still take steps in our everyday moments to help reduce our daily waste. 

Read through our quick guide on easy, sustainable habits you can incorporate into your routine to lessen your footprints. 
Explore simple and practical sustainable choices to make every day >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Jennifer Hendrick

Throughout the entire month, ReCreative Denver has recognized the female creators and leaders in our building and our community. With all of the different backgrounds, processes, and knowledge that each woman brings to her work and our little RCD family, we couldn’t be more proud to be surrounded by such empowered and awesome ladies. 

Jennifer Hendrick (she/her) is the artist behind GrimePanda and the person who will greet you with a warm hug, bright smile, and hearty laugh every time you see her. She’s been with ReCreative since the early days — as a studio resident, collaborator, and friend. 

Her artworks are fluid, both in process and in style. GrimePanda ties together a dynamic group of elements in the form of sculpture, performance, collage, and photography. Bright neons, glitter, broken glass, and found objects are found in much of her work — with a trash-to-treasure mentality. And this year she’s adding pottery to her repertoire!

Jennifer’s works are meant to invoke curiosity in the reader through varying color fields and textures. The idea here is that there doesn’t always need to be a narrative and that art can stand alone as an artifact of creative expression — frozen in time yet not necessarily archival. 

“I want my works of art to encompass the fun and childlike creative process of experimenting with old and new objects and materials. GrimePanda tries to find existing discarded substrates to create the works on, and always embraces a fun and chaotic, messy process.”  

Outside of creating art, Jennifer has worked extensively with children, who she describes as “miniature artists.” Her time with little ones continues to inspire her process, manifesting in an internalized understanding of a youthful mind.

“Children remind us to embrace the fun mess and laugh along with the obstacles and challenges life throws at us; without some humor, life would be just too dang hard.” 

Jennifer also finds inspiration in collaborative work. Whether that’s with established craftsmen like ArtzerShaw, a stranger-turned-friend who walks into her studio, or with close friends and colleagues. Annie Denison is one such friend who Jennifer says has impacted the GrimePanda process from its roots. 

“There’s a certain level of magic and whimsy that happens when I get to work with other people. The secret sauce is in the connections with those around us and being able to do so in a creative and safe environment — that’s great motivation to keep making.”

See more of GrimePanda’s works and request a commissioned piece from her >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Kelly Angryberger

Honoring Women’s History month, ReCreative Denver is celebrating the many women who light up our artistic community. Every woman brings their own spark to our building and inspires others to find theirs in the work they create.

Kelly Angryberger (she/her) is a ceramicist and educator who is upping the clay game around RCD. Through serendipitous moments and meetings, she joined the ReCreative family over a year ago. 

You can find her throwing pottery in her studio when she’s not teaching art to rowdy middle schoolers. You’ll especially catch her collaborating with Cal Duran on amazing, one-of-a-kind cups that are sold solely at Meow Wolf Convergence Station’s gift shop.

Kelly’s love for ceramics goes back to her 7th-grade year when she made her first coil pot — a carrot-shaped box — which her parents still have on display in their home. Throughout high school and into college Kelly immersed herself in ceramic arts and by the end of her post-baccalaureate program at MSU Denver, she was utterly hooked on clay.

Everyone drinks out of cups, eats out of bowls, and serves salad, pasta, or curry. There’s a part of ceramics that’s highly functional and each piece made will have its unique uses and experiences. Kelly sees these connections between clay and the moments we all experience. 

 “Those moments you experience will be with me, but I'll never actually be there. Long after I'm gone these pieces will be used and loved — maybe even end up at the Goodwill for a couple bucks. I love how a cup can be loved, owned, washed, worn, and maybe eventually broken. I love how sometimes a broken pot can break your heart — isn't it amazing how that happens?” 

Every time Kelly glazes and decorates her pots she’s working through a visual language. Sure, there’s lots of trial and error, but there’s a lot of beauty in the learning experience.

What’s special about Kelly’s work is that she doesn’t make repeat or identical pieces. If you’ve ever tried your hand at throwing pottery, you know just how hard replication can be. But she embraces that each of her pieces are truly unique — you’ll never find another one like it!

While the clay itself can dictate what’s possible — its color, texture, and plasticity do have their limits — Kelly finds a significant amount of inspiration in her neighboring artists at RCD. She especially feels guided by Duran, who shares studio space with her. She sees the passion that he and other artists at ReCreative bring to their creative space, and it drives her to push herself more in her growth as an artist.

“I've felt myself grow into someone who can confidently self-identify as an artist with a truly amazing community behind me, backing that up. Thanks, guys. Pushing myself to grow and improve is so much more fun with the RCD family to watch it happen.”

Kelly sells her pottery under the name Bananafund Co. — be sure to check out what she’s working on right now and if have the itch to get your hands on some clay, contact her for private lessons!

Explore more of Kelly’s works and contact her for a quote >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Holly Harrison

As Women’s History Month continues, we’re honoring the female voices and talents at ReCreative Denver. Each woman brings something unique and special to our building, and we couldn’t be more proud of this community we build together.

Holly Harrison (she/her) is a fiber artist and collector of vintage and cast-off textiles — and the stories that accompany them. She constructs and deconstructs the colors, textures, and imperfections that were once part of someone else’s beloved stash. 

“As I wander estate sales, gathering treasures ranging from the vintage silk kimonos of a Japanese war bride, to exquisitely hand embroidered linen dinner napkins, to piles of fabric carefully pressed or haphazardly jumbled, I muse upon the life and dreams of the person who sewed and crafted and created in a home now open to the perusal of strangers.”

Holly has been a resident artist at ReCreative since its early days. Like many folks who first discovered the shop, she was there to donate art supplies but found herself shopping for previously loved treasures. It was only a couple months before she had her own studio to create within the RCD family.

Working with a variety of fiber — primarily wool yarn upcycled from estate sales and thrift stores — Holly hand tuft rugs using a tufting gun. She likes to think of it as painting with yarn to create art for your floor! In addition to being beautiful, the wool is thick, warm, and durable. But it's also meant to be used and enjoyed.

Still, as a serial creative dabbler, she is a maker who uses different mediums and processes. One moment she’ll be re-piecing vintage and other non-traditional material into quilts, pillows and clothing and the next she’ll be working on her weaving, felting, tufting, and rug making.

“The common thread is useful art. I love making things that add beauty and artistry to people’s lives but that are also well used within their homes. The quilt will get threadbare, the rug may get stained, but the beauty will add joy that will permeate each day.”

Mostly self-taught, Holly has taken a number of workshops, watched a good deal of YouTube videos, and engaged in endless trial and error. She gets excited about mixing techniques and playing with scale. 

Holly’s designs are often inspired by nature. She also admires abstract and impressionist painters and their use of color, shape, and texture and how those all can translate into fiber art.

But at the core of her work Holly aims to create “Functional art… with a past.” She’s creating a new purpose and injecting refreshed beauty into once forgotten pieces.

Check out more of Holly’s fiber works, textiles, and other projects >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Jessica Polzin

In recognition of Women’s History Month, we’re continuing to celebrate the women who contribute to ReCreative Denver and the artistic community at large.

Jessica Polzin (she/her) is an artist of many talents. Her works span across fiber arts, fashion design, illustration, painting, macrame, and styling. She even makes insanely awesome puppets, which you’ve surely seen in action if you follow Headroom Sessions.

Jessica’s career has taken her all over the country. After graduating with degrees in fine art and fashion design, she moved to New York, where she immediately started working in fashion. 

Some of her early projects involved doing scenic work for commercials and doing makeup for PETA and “The Cut.” While she found joy in what she was doing, her real passion for creating sparked when she started painting murals with her father in New York and all around the U.S..

After hatching a plan with her sister Sarah (who is also an incredible artist), Jessica came back to Denver to work with her family full time on their creative endeavors. Together, they have combined their efforts to create unique works using a large variety of mediums. Each person brings their own talent to the table that complements everyone else.

In fact, Jessica’s family is so involved in the arts that they have their own studio, Sideshow Studios. It’s an interactive space with art covering as much of its walls as possible. It’s an encouraging environment that sparks the imaginations and creativity of anyone who walks through the doors.

Beyond the positive influence of her family, Jessica finds much of her inspiration to create in herself. She can’t think of a time in her life when she wasn’t making art.

She loves to find the message in her work, but it’s never cut in stone. She’s a stickler for perfection and loves to problem solve as she designs and makes. 

“I delight in the surprises a new technique will reveal. I find that even if I learn a totally niche skill for personal art, it always comes back around to be useful in the commercial realm of my work. I say, `Never limit yourself, if you want to learn something new, be brave and just do it.’”

Whether it’s fashion design and styling, illustration and painting, macrame, or fiber arts — Jessica will always challenge herself in her work and come out with something to be proud of.

See more of Jessica’s artwork and projects >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Mara Rose Higgins

This March, we’re celebrating the many talented and amazing women at ReCreative Denver. From artists and woodworkers to our organization’s board members — we have an impressive line up of female creators, movers and shakers.

As a member of ReCreative’s board, Mara Rose Higgins (she/her) brings innovative vision and brilliant ideas to the table. As a studio artist and designer, she lights up the building with her creativity and passion for the arts community.

Though art was always in the background of how she experienced her world, Mara began painting as an extracurricular activity in her senior year of high school. She always knew she had a talent for this medium, but she soon realized that art was also a way for her to put words to concepts or experience she couldn’t articulate otherwise. 

Eventually, her work began to reveal insights she wasn’t initially conscious of. She saw painting as a mirror into her subconscious and a form of therapy and reflection — it became an inner teacher, healer, and coach.

“Some of my paintings have begun in anger or horror with a given experience, topic or reality. Through the course of their execution, the paintings challenge me to see things differently and allow a transformation of perception and power. My desire is never to ‘smooth over’ any injustice or difficult topic, nor to make it more palatable. Rather, I am to access a different reality and vantage point that confronts or intercepts the current indoctrinated one.”

Throughout her career, Mara has had a few mentors stand out, but among them all her father was a significant inspiration in her creative life. Also a psychologist and poet, he and Mara had a similar way of seeing the world and expressing themselves. 

He took up painting later in life following a terminal cancer diagnosis. Through his paintings — a tiger in particular — he helped Mara understand the power of symbolism, allegory, and metaphor. He also introduced her to the early works of Ross Bleckner, specifically his pieces that dealt with death and loss.

Mara stays motivated to create through her desire to see her own potential — transformation, healing, and self-actualization. 

“Courage is a catalyst to change, and through painting and creating art, I am able to envision it. I hope others can see or experience it too — or at the very least, discover something they didn’t expect or at first comprehend.”

Explore more of Mara’s art work and design work >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Andrea Dolter

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re continuing to highlight the voices of the female creators and leaders at ReCreative Denver.

Andrea Dolter (she/her) started with ReCreative as a volunteer in 2018. Her artwork was on show at the ReCreative gallery in March 2020. In 2021 she joined ReCreative as a studio space resident where she co-operates Hell & Rats Vintage Collective and offers clothing repair services under the name To Hell & Back. 

You’ll also see her working in the ReCreative store throughout the week! Her presence at RCD has been integral to connecting with our community and inspiring creative reuse in everything she does.

Andrea works across textile and printmaking media — exploring fiber as a material and subject matter stemming from traditional textile and printmaking applications. She grew up with a passion for drawing and discovered a love for fiber after the women in her family taught her customary practices at a young age. 

 “This lifelong exploration of creation allows me to connect to a history that’s both personal and shared through the traditions of craft with the materials and processes I use.”

 Andrea’s work honors the feminine history that’s associated with textiles. The combination of sacred textile heirlooms quilted together with familiar visual motifs evokes memories from the past. Through her art, she creates the space to invite small moments of nostalgia to connect to the present.

 “Memory and family are a driving force in my work. The ways that we connect to the world around us as children and build those early, important and lasting relationships as children are so unique and all that we can truly take with us is the memory. The return to a far simpler understanding of the world, even for just a few moments, is what motivates me to create.” 

 Andrea brings to life the sentimental relationship we all have with certain objects — they’re a memory vessel that are capable of transporting us back to a time when we didn’t know as much and our ignorance was pure bliss.

 Discover more of Andrea’s works, including her series featured at ReCreative >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Carol Angel

Carol Angel (she/her) is the heart and soul of the volunteer program at ReCreative. Not long after we opened our doors, Carol met up with our founder, Emily, to donate some of her loved creative items. After learning about ReCreative’s mission and vision, she felt compelled to get involved.

Recycling and reuse has been a passion of Carol’s since childhood. When she was young she’d help others in recycling — whether it was collecting aluminum tabs from cans from her brother’s boy scout troop or picking up cans from the street or trash cans to recycle them. She still does this today!

As a retired lawyer, Carol has found the time to explore a number of creative outlets and has explored mediums like ceramics, stained glass, jewelry, collage, and assemblage art. She even was a part of an all-female improv group for a few years.

Carol finds inspiration in the “flow” of imagining and creating something — she says it takes her out of ordinary life and into a meditative state. 

She also finds inspiration in encouraging others — especially young people — to explore and enjoy their own creativity. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, she would put out little art projects and kits for her neighbors to take and create in lockdown. She loves looking back at the handwritten “thank you” notes from kids about what she now calls her “Little Free Art Library.”

Projects made from Carol’s Little Free Art Library.

For the past five years, she has run the “Creation Station” at the Colorado Unicorn Festival and Colorado Chocolate Festival. Through these events she gets to combine her love for creativity and reuse by having kids create projects with reused materials. 

Carol brings this same energy and sense of inspiration to ReCreative in helping coordinate volunteers and organize donations. If you ever volunteer at RCD, you’ll be lucky to work with her in the process.

“I hope to continue volunteering at ReCreative for years. I love the energy and spirit of the community — employees, volunteers, artists and woodworkers, board members, and customers. I enjoy sharing the joy of creativity and the ethic of reuse.”

We’re lucky to have folks like Carol who support RCD and our mission. She definitely continues to inspire us with everything she does!

Learn more about how you can get involved at ReCreative Denver >

Meet the Women of ReCreative Denver: Emily Korson

Throughout the month of March, we’re taking a moment to recognize the many talented women who fill the studios, shops, and hallways of ReCreative Denver.

As the co-founder of ReCreative Denver and Seattle ReCreative, Emily Korson (she/her) is the rock of our organization. On top of spearheading ReCreative’s efforts, she’s also an artist and art educator. 

She began making artwork that relates to the body when her husband began medical school. During this time, Emily was also experiencing some health issues. Through these demanding times, she discovered an interest in exploring relationships through her art — focusing on the body allowed her to connect with herself and her spouse. 

Emily’s work is filled with themes of illness, mortality, and intimacy. Her drawings and paintings are often inspired by clinical photographs of the body found in medical literature. She’ll occasionally combine these with photorealistic renderings of still-life photography and her own written meditations on love and loss. 

A common medium in her pieces involves the use of layers of visceral, translucent media (like vellum and wax) to investigate the complicated experiences of love, illness, and loss. This is her way of exploring the relationship between interior and exterior and to express her experiences in and around the body.

“Ultimately, my hope is that the work gives rise to questions of ontology, rather than explanations of physiology. At a fundamental level, these works seek to find meaning and beauty in the face of suffering and loss.”  

Along with her personal experiences, Emily draws a lot of inspiration from the relationships she has with her family and close friends. But, simply being around art and artists is probably what inspires her the most. While ReCreative has given her a platform to steward sustainability in the creative space, it also exposes her to creators of all mediums. 

The opportunity to connect with studio mates, staff, shoppers, volunteers, and workshop members makes all of her involvement with ReCreative all the sweeter.

Learn more about ReCreative and Emily’s vision for environmental stewardship >