Shandon Black
"I make zero-waste art and clothing by a process that I've gradually developed over the years. My practice is based in mindfulness to foster the connection between myself, my actions, the materials I use, and the broader environment. The clothes that I make are always used, deadstock, or thrifted and I aim to find clothing in need of repair that's strictly made of biodegradable fabric. I then use biodegradable thread to repair the pieces in an artful way. All of the scraps from this process are then reused for other clothing or incorporated into my paintings and sculptures.
For my artwork, I also developed sustainable, zero-waste methods to create and share the works. I don't buy new art supplies, rarely even used ones. I just use found supplies or those handed down to me; lost pens, old notebooks, the paints I acquired before I was this eco-oriented. Of those materials that I’ve accumulated, I make sure to keep the nonbiodegradable ones closed in my creation loop, ensuring no paint or other harmful waste goes down the drain or into the trash. I mainly do this by using only paint rags and a spray bottle to clean while painting, reincorporating the used paint rags back into sculptures and other mixed media. I also incorporate non-biodegradable and hard to recycle waste items such as styrofoam, electronics, stickers, and more." — Shandon Black