Midlife Creative

When you finish drinking a gallon of milk or 1/2 gallon of juice, do look at the empty jug with curiosity asking ”how could I reuse that?” After interviewing artist, Heather M. Cole, I’ve started looking at items in the recycling bin as potential art pieces. Heather loves making art from repurposed materials. As a young child, and to this day, constructing is how she views play. Heather is inspired by everyday items like bottle caps, coffee cans, packaging materials, or plastic containers.

Here is a picture of a gallon jug, cut into pieces with a scissors in preparation for a project. “It’s more difficult than it looks,” Cole says.

These pieces are used in standing lamps and hanging light fixtures. When asked how many jugs she has cut, she says ”I’ve lost track. It takes maybe 10-12 jugs for a small lamp and the largest ones require close to 100.”

Take a look at some of these finished creations.

Every lamp I’ve seen is one of a kind and beautiful.

Heather and I talked about what brings us joy. We discovered that we are both introverts, night people, nature lovers, and walkers. I laughed when she said, ”The cutting up of plastic strips is like knitting. Some people knit in the evening, I cut up milk jugs.” It takes a couple of hours each evening for approximately 2 weeks to finish a lamp.

Cole enjoys participating art events like the St Paul Art Crawl and Northrup King Showcases. She is a member of the NEMAA and the St Paul Art Collective. When talking with those attending the art events, she is often surprised at how narrow peoples’ view of what ”art” is. Many think of art as only drawing or painting. When she asks those walking by if they are artistic, they often say ”No” and then later admit they are a musician or have some other creative hobby.

One of Heather’s latest projects are these 10×10 wood panels with hearts made from a variety of food containers. They are lit up with battery operated fairy lights.

The lamps are what Cole is known for, but she sees herself branching into other art forms. She would like to work on larger art installations. like the three put together between 2017-2019 through the Hennepin Theater Trust. These were called ”Made Here” Projects and were displayed in St Paul store front windows. They are social commentaries designed to spur on conversation and make people stop and think.

Future – Peak Stuff – 2017

Energy – Bursts – 2018

You can see Heather’s work in person at the Tres Leches Art Gallery in the Northrup King building in the NE art district of Minneapolis. A fun piece in the current show is a “Kissing Booth” constructed from plastic packaging.

https://www.treslechesartgallery.com/

Thanks Heather Cole, for sharing your art with the world. It is unique, thought provoking, calming, and beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!