Art display features

‘blisterpacks’
Artistic creations that come alive out of old plastic packaging material are exactly what art enthusiasts will find in a two-week show by local artist Cliff Martin.
The pre-show gathering will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Fienstein’s Museum of Unfine Art, 537 Willamette St., and refreshments will be served.
This display features Martin’s use of discarded plastic packaging, known as blisterpack.
“When I heard the statistics on how much of this stuff ends up in landfills, I had to find an alternative way of using it,” Martin said. “Blisterpack is the primary retail display material worldwide. … While some blisterpack is recyclable, much of it ends up being thrown away, and the recycling process may actually be more polluting than the original manufacture — it has to be shredded and melted before reuse.”
Martin’s exhibit combines his long-term obsession with collage and a strong passion for recycled art materials. He is a founding member of the Recycled Art Association, a locally-based networking group for artists using recycled materials.
“I’ve always done 3-D art since I was a kid, and blisterpack provides an ideal pre-existing medium for art in a package,” he said. “It’s ready to hang and protected from dust.”
For more information, call 683-7357.

— Lisa Toth