Meet Cathy Ehrler & Kathy Rennell Forbes
Two Artists Improving the Planet One Piece at a Time
The duo behind Studio Z Atlanta will showcase all new works made from recycled materials in “Artistic Transformation: Finding the Hidden Beauty of Waste” this April. To celebrate Earth Month, half of the proceeds will go to KGBF. Join us for a conversation about upcycling, the artistic process, and how they became environmental advocates in the first place.
Kathy Rennell-Forbes & Cathy Ehrler pose in front of Studio Z
Let's start off by sharing with our readers a little more about the show. Cathy, you'll be showing your "Endangered" mosaics made from upcycled trash, and Kathy will be exhibiting "The Changing Landscape", a collection of repurposed watercolors. Can you tell us more about your materials and how you became inspired to use them?
Cathy: "Endangered" is a series of mosaics depicting endangered species. These mosaics are made from thousands of pieces cut tediously by hand from various trash materials; cans, old CD's polystyrene, you name it. They are glued to a recycled background or substrate. I look for colors and patterns in the garbage. The only products I purchase are nontoxic, environmentally responsible glue, and sealer.
Kathy: “The Changing Landscape” started when I began shredding some of my older paintings. I feel that over the years, I have grown as an artist, and many of my earlier watercolors no longer reflect who I am. I joked with Cathy about starting a bonfire with them, but in reality, I put them through a paper shredder. They become colorful confetti, and I place a few handfuls of this into a blender with water and let it whir away. Some I grind up into a finer pulp, and with others, I allow the bits of paper with color to show. Then I pour it onto a screen and allow it to dry into new paper. I love texture, and this thicker paper has plenty of it! I paint on this new surface or add collage to it, and each piece contains hundreds of my past memories and places I have painted.
The artists with some pieces from their upcoming exhibition
Have you always been passionate about the environment, or was there a certain moment you can remember that changed the way you think?
Cathy: I have always been passionate about the environment, going back to the days when I would go to public parks and pick up metal tabs from soda cans (before pop tops existed). When beginning my art career and painting outdoors, invariably there would be litter somewhere in my field of vision. It made me fear that someday our world would be covered with trash. I decided to find merit in using the litter itself, and did one series, The Trashy Project on Means Street, in where I created works from the trash I picked up in my neighborhood every day for a year. From that I realized I could create permanent and beautiful works from the trash I found.
Kathy: I started picking up trash as a child as well, and remember going to parks to pick up trash on Earth Day. I think both of us share common goals with KGBF, which is why we’re excited to be able to collaborate on this exhibition.
What would you say to other artists looking to make their environment cleaner, greener, and more beautiful?
Cathy: Look around your studio for existing materials to use in unexpected ways, and for materials that are non-toxic and natural. Reuse frames or buy them at the thrift store. Most importantly, cause no harm to nature with your work.
Kathy: I agree, and I’ll add that when I go to a place, I want to leave it more beautiful than I found it. I always pick up any rubbish I see while I am painting outdoors, and I encourage the same with my students. In February, I was actually picking a bit of trash out of a small waterfall where I was teaching a class, and I slipped on the wet rocks and fractured my finger! So although I support cleaning up, I do not necessarily recommend going to those lengths to pick up trash.
Visit Studio Z on Saturday, April 15 from 1-8pm or Sunday, April 16 from 1-4pm to meet the artists, enjoy refreshments, and browse their new collections. You’ll support Georgia’s environment and be able to take home something beautiful!