Textile Art by Maxine Sutton

On a recent hunt for emerging artwork with an eco-friendly edge, I came across the work of London artist Maxine Sutton. Trained as a painter, Maxine's pieces strike just the right balance between texture, color, form, and references to culture and the environment. Gorgeous embroideries, stitched cloth, screenprinted images, and needle-punch felting characterize Maxine Sutton's work. It's almost like a stitched, tactile version of a Rex Ray piece. What is really amazing is that she uses combinations of reclaimed or organic fabric, low impact printing methods, and plant dyed yarns sourced from the Pyrenees - all to keep her art production ethical and sustainable.

For more information, visit Maxine Sutton's website. She is truly a 'green modern' artist of our time.

Material Spotlight: Zelfo Plastic From Plants

There is a new eco-friendly material on the market and it's called Zelfo. Did you know that plastic leaches and that cancer rates are higher around these toxic production facilities? Zelfo is an ecological solution to petro-chemical and toxic materials and production methods. It uses a patented method that takes full advantage of the cellular structure of plants to produce a plastic-like material. Zelfo is a solid and mouldable material made from natural fibres including hemp, sugar cane, beer draff, recycled paper and other cellulose containing raw materials. For more information, visit Zelfo's website.