At the New York Gift Show in 1999, I was dazzled by the array of innovative, new products. I bought lavishly. At home in Washington, DC., I tallied my take--carryalls made from vinyl billboards and mufflers from silk remnants. Only then did it occur to me that the gifts I'd selected had a common theme: they were all made from recycled materials. I hadn't selected them because they were "good for the environment." I'd been drawn to them by their good design.
I began looking at art in a new way. I sought out products and artists that were factoring the environment into their design. As I did so, I unearthed an artistic movement that married earth friendly materials to innovative design including CD racks from bike parts, Zulu "imbenge" baskets woven from used telephone wire, and men's and women's jewelry from discontinued transit tokens.
That was the beginning of eco-artware.com, a web-based gallery of stylish, well-made products enabling us to live well, while living lightly on the earth. Not all of our products are "recycled." We also carry earth-friendly "first generation" designs such as hand-turned wooden pens (8 different styles) that will have long first lives.
eco-artware.com was a new adventure for me - but it dovetailed nicely with the way I lived. I recycled and reused before and after it became chic. I'd worn plain and fancy Birkenstocks with vintage Armani suits through stints as a magazine illustrator, custom needlepoint designer, crafts teacher and manager of crafts shops. My grandmother's hand-made napkins with crocheted borders were the centerpiece of every holiday table I set. I'd used flea market finds as the raw materials for cards, craft projects and holiday decorations since I was a child.
I'm excited to introduce you to a new generation of gifted artists and their creations-from utilitarian to whimsical. Each artist expresses a unique point of view and uses raw materials in different and often surprising ways. As a woman-owned business, I am pleased that many women contribute to site development and our collection contains the work of many women artists.
