Unfinished, Not Forgotten: Breathing New Life Into Old Art

Hi friends — trying so hard to consistently share here on Substack.

I love the beginning of almost all art‑making. The art processes that require layering are always challenging for me, because they often require patience. Waiting is not one of my strengths.

However, over the years I had a real breakthrough regarding doing multiple art projects simultaneously. This multiple‑projects method has helped me avoid overworking my art and not get overly lost in my “flow state.” When I have the space to reflect and look at several projects, I am so much more grounded and the outcome is better artistically.

Repurposing older art projects also feels so darn good — both economical and energizing. Small or large paintings, or prints that I worked hard on but had no ultimate destination, are so much fun to revisit and contemplate for new uses. I also love the feeling of tearing things up. It feels deliciously irreverent but creative — then sorting them in new ways and trying to see if there is an aesthetic puzzle I can solve.

This project below is getting there. I’ve included photos to illustrate the steps in reusing and breathing new life into wearable art.

How about you? Do you have any repurposed art making a comeback?

The process

• Find some old gelli print acrylic prints I don’t like, but didn’t recycle.
• Grab gel medium and start gluing and tearing the prints, creating lots of smaller collages. This is a lot more interesting to me now.
• Cut the collage into interesting shapes and begin to assemble an overall design for a necklace.
• Assemble the shapes into a puzzle design.
• Glue cardboard to the collage shapes for stability.
• Cut out the now cardboard‑backed shapes and do a first pass at sanding the individual pieces.
• Thread thin copper wire through the pieces — extra tricky — to create a double strand that can become a necklace.

(This isn’t completely finished — needs three coats of sealer and more sanding, but I’m close.)

The important part of today’s studio work was my willingness to be playful, experiment, and revisit old prints I didn’t throw away. I often only feel motivated to start a new project, but I truly found this so satisfying. Hope this inspires someone.

Love, Elizabeth