Reusing and recycling is at the core of renowned Elizabeth Brunetta an Ontario-based eco-artist who uses recycled material to bring otherwise discarded and forgotten items to life.

Her most recent art display is the award-winning Dragon that sits on the grounds of Infinity Farm in Luskville. The Dragon, although 16 years old, has now been given a new life.

In 2008, the Dragon was selected for the Jury’s Choice and Public’s Choice awards, and Honourable Mention for the Member’s Choice award, at the Festival de Recycl’Art in Montpellier, Québec.

Creating art, for Brunetta, is all about integrating waste and making it into something beautiful, rather than buying new material. “There’s so much out in the world. It’s important to highlight to people, just the quantity that they’re thoughtlessly discarding.” Brunetta said. All her projects are collection-based, she uses materials she has or anything friends collect for her.

Much like her sculpture that is made up of 95 per cent recycled material, the body of the Dragon is made up of window screening from her gazebo that had been spray-painted red. The teeth are made up of old telephone cables. There are ten feet of beading work all along the top of the Dragon and on the horn.

The eyes of the Dragon are made up of two differently coloured marbles, “I made this as an accessibility feature for kids who were nervous about the dragon. So, I made the eyes removable.” The wheels and fenders, which were used as the horns, seen on the Dragon are from a bike shop. All items were being thrown away, but Brunetta gave them a second life.

It took Brunetta the course of two years on and off to finish it as she was balancing making art with a full-time job. It was finished in 2005.

As Brunetta went through the different materials used, she explained how different materials have changed over time due to being exposed to air, sun, and rain.

“I think he’s ageing quite well,” Brunetta said while pointing out how some of the copper found on the sculpture has started to oxidize and turn green.

She said, “When you make [art] with recycled materials you’re thinking well how is this material gonna weather and last through the years because you don’t know because it’s an unknown object.”

Another reason she uses recycled material is that it is fascinating to her and “beautiful to me” said Brunetta. She adds that people have designed these objects to make it eye-catching, yet they have such a short shelf life because they get discarded. “I think doing this kind of art puts legs on it, lets it travel a little farther.

One of the things she enjoys about creating this sort of art is how easy it is to trick people because it doesn’t take much to make it look attractive said Brunetta as she recalls making stained glass windows out of gum packages.

When asked where she gets her ideas she said “everywhere” but she’s always thinking of new ideas and projects that “you have to write them down in a book so that they don’t keep you awake at night,” she said.

Brunetta is constantly working on projects whether they are large-scaled sculptures or small like visible mending, visit Infinity Farms to see the Dragon on display from Oct. 31 to Nov. 15.

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