I love discarded, rusted old junk. I love it more than anything you could buy at Target. It has an element of "cool" that I don't think you can find in new items. Don't get me wrong, not every bit of trash fits the "criteria" for saving and although I come close, I'm not a hoarder (yet)! Mostly, I love items with a patina. A worn, aged look that makes me wonder how it got there.... especially items that would have been touched by hands in another century... Old rusted keys, parts of door knobs, rusted ornamental backplates, knockers... You get the idea.
Sometimes I buy things like old wheels from a red flyer wagon, or old yardstick, with no plan in mind, but I love them so much that I set them around my house. I create little "vignettes" - it's my thing. For a while I collected wheels. I guess my family just accepted it. I hung them on the walls because honestly they were so cool. Those old wheels from baby carriages, kids' toys, bikes etc. There was even a wheel that my brother and I dug up back when we used to dig for old bottles behind our house on Stone Ridge Road in the late 70's. Yup! I moved that old wheel from house to house with me.
Well, anyway, once in awhile I stop creating vignettes and throw it all together into something NEW, or reimagined, like this outdoor sculpture I started with some of my students last Spring. I'm not sure if my dragonfly is finished, but she was born of ceiling fans, license plates, an old key, jewelry, and a few other items. I needed to finish her up so snuck some time in this week. Not sure if she's done? But, I'm moving on! I hope to "create" for the rest of my time on earth, so hopefully I never run out of junk!
Never overlook an old rusty item!
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