Our Exquisite Pollution

The art of Sandra Hansen is a statement on the enormous problem of water pollution and its effect on the ecosystems of Planet Earth's oceans, lakes and rivers. Chemical contamination has long been recognized but now a growing body of evidence points to the role of plastics in polluting our water and killing the creatures, great and small, that live there.

Hansen makes paper. Her papers are big and beautiful and made almost completely from trash. I spent a day in her studio documenting the creation of one of her papers. Instead of a canvas, she uses a mold and deckle. Buckets, pulleys and clamps replace brushes and pallets. An old shirt provides the blue color. Nylon twine, fibers from a fringe and a fishing net are infused into the piece. And, the trash ends up in the belly of the fish.

I've seen Hansen's papers. They are exquisite. It was a pleasure to spend the day with her in her studio. This is a documentation of the process, hopefully with my own artistic flair.