1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew (1000 Series) [Paperback]

Garth Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009 | Series: 1000 Series

Artists and crafters have always been recyclers, but for many, it has not only become a thrifty choice, it has become a moral imperative. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse contains a cutting edge collection of the most inventive work being made with re-used, upcycled, and already existing materials. The work in this book ranges from clever and humble personal accessories to unique and important large-scale works of art, including paper art, fashion, jewelry, housewares, interiors, and installations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Johnson, Garth. 1000 Ideas for  Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew. Quarry: Quayside.  2009. c.320p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59253-540-8. pap. $25.  CRAFTS

This is a photo gallery of funky and somewhat outrageous art objects made from recycled found materials in all media. Johnson (art, Coll. of the Redwoods) assembled this collection of works by established studio artists as a source of ideas for crafters.  -- Library Journal, February 15, 2010

About the Author

Garth Johnson is a studio artist, writer and educator who lives in Eureka, California. In addition to maintaining the website "Exteme Craft" (www.extremecraft.com) Garth writes for CRAFT magazine and his writing has been featured in museum catalogs, magazines, and books worldwide, including a contribution to the upcoming book Handmade Nation from Princeton Architectural Press. His first DVD, ReVision: Recycled Crafts for Earth-Friendly Living will be released by Eyekiss Films later this year. His artwork was featured in a solo show at Gallerie Maxim in Cologne, Germany in August, 2008. Garth received a BFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MFA from Alfred University. He has taught at Georgia State University, Columbus State University and is currently a full-time instructor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, CA. In addition to teaching, he is a sought-after lecturer and visiting artist, with recent lectures at Ohio State University, Illinois State University, and the Kansas City Art Institute.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592535402
• ISBN-13: 978-1592535408
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garth Johnson is a studio artist, writer and educator who lives in Eureka, California. In addition to maintaining the website "Exteme Craft" (www.extremecraft.com) Garth's writing has been featured in museum catalogs, magazines and books worldwide. His first book, "1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse" was published in in November, 2009 by Quarry publishers. His DVD, ReVision: Recycled Crafts for Earth-Friendly Living was released by Eyekiss Films in Spring 2009. His artwork was also recently featured in a solo exhibition at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA.

Garth received a BFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MFA from Alfred University. He has taught at Georgia State University, Columbus State University and is currently an assistant professor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka. In addition to teaching, he is a sought-after lecturer and visiting artist, with recent lectures at Ohio State, Virginia Commonwealth and Louisiana State Universities and the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool and "Green" Reference Book October 26, 2009

By A. Borloz

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thinking that it was a "how-to" book, I ordered this book based on my artist friend's recommendation. Instead, it turned out to be more of a photo-gallery type reference book. As I was going through the book, the wonderful memories of inspirational and mind-expanding visit to the Portland Museum of Contemporary Crafts (Oregon), Museum of Art & Design (New York), American Craft Council Fair (alternate crafts section) at Fort Mason (San Francisco, CA) came to my mind.

In every visit, I was fascinated and amazed with how ordinary or found materials can be repurposed, recycled, or even re-manufactured into an entirely different entity. I saw several of them again in this book, and from the same book, many more examples of material reuse from many different categories were shown: fashion, home accessories, book arts, mixed media, and interiors.

Each photo (1,000 of them) has a number and the name of the artisan. If one wants to know what materials were used, one will have to find it in the image directory at the end of the book using the number as the index. However, the image directory is a bit confusing and difficult to read because it was not in the expected columnar format.

Despite the shortcomings of the book's layout design and the misleading title, I have found it to be inspirational as it enables me to come up with more ideas for what I can use with my own found materials. And if I need more information, I can look up a list of resources in this book.

Overall, I find this book to be a good sourcing tool for scouts who are looking for exceptional or "green" items to be sold in crafts fairs, galleries or other retail venues. It is also an excellent idea-generating tool for those who want to create, design or maintain a "green" lifestyle by either recycling with found materials or buying the handcrafted objects from the artisans.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Inspiration November 19, 2009

By Mary Zoom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a collection of 1000 artfully photographed items, all made from something else. The photos run the gamut from fine art to functional objects, clothes to accessories. It is a beautiful book and fun and inspirational to look at. I found myself reopening the book over and over as there is so much to see and be inspired by. This is a must for all who create and enjoy recycled art and craft.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected November 23, 2009

By Mari Powers

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book expecting a "how-to" book to do the 1000 projects, but this is not the case. It is, however, full of some very creative and extravagant art projects that are amazing. If you would like to know what they are made of, you have to search the resource info. in the back of the book. I find that to be distracting and would rather read about it on the same page as the picture. If you want a book to learn how to reuse, remake, restyle, this is not for you. If I had known just how over the top these projects were, I don't think I would have bought this book. I feel these are more for the serious artist than the person who likes to do re-purposing type projects, like me. It is a very good book, just not what I expected.