Gladbrook artist Jenny Bledsoe pictured with one of her pieces. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

GLADBROOK – Creating something, anything, has always been a part of me. For as long as I can remember, I have been a maker. I try to create things from objects that have already been placed here for one purpose, and turn those objects into something different to serve another purpose. I have adopted the famous three R’s of “reduce, reuse, recycle” where we reduce our consumption, reuse useful items and recycle materials to keep them out of our landfills. Mindfulness is continual when making my purchases. You can find me picking and thrifting from garage sales, thrift stores and marketplace to find frames for my art projects and items to flip and repurpose.

Creating is part of my everyday life. After my morning routine, I will begin or continue on a project of some kind. That project may be a visual art piece using paint, colored pencil and stencils, creating something out of cardboard, a sewing project or upcycling a furniture piece (currently, it is turning a hutch into a coffee bar). Often times, there are two or three projects going on at once.

The art pieces that I have chosen to display at the Toledo Public Library are mostly multi-layered pieces that have been created using a canvas and cracker or cereal box cardboard. My process begins with a paint “scraping” method to blend the background into a “wallpaper” type look. A small cardboard piece, a paper towel and a brayer are used to create the background just how I want it. My fingers act as one of my best tools and will do much of the rubbing, smearing and smudging to achieve a somewhat grungy effect until the background feels complete. Stenciling is added to the piece, along with tissue paper, coffee filters, torn pieces of papers, modeling paste and charcoal. Each piece is done using a layering process that takes anywhere from two days to two weeks to complete.

The selected pieces will be presented at the Toledo Public Library (206 E. High Street

Toledo, Iowa) for the first time. My hope is that you enjoy viewing the display and that it brings a smile to your face and also by observing, it will evoke a reaction of inspiration.

Three interesting facts about me:

-I make some of my own collage paper to use on the projects.

-I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I create.

-I always incorporate a heart into each piece. The heart represents the love of my family and the creating process itself.