Mark Oliver, a 57 year old carpenter turned into an artist lately when he started to collect junk from the East Bay beaches and transformed them into magnificent pieces of art. Oliver who resides in Colusa Avenue in North Berkeley started to collect the umbrella handles, fishing poles, plastic bottles, cigarette lighters, worn-out shoes ironing boards and almost all other waste objects that were thrown away on the beaches by locals and tourists. He brought these objects to his house and his small lawn is now filled with beautiful sculptures and other art works made out of trash. These charming artefacts attract the passersby to glance over the splendid work he has created.
The idea of saving the beauty of the beaches came to the artistâs mind while he walking with his dog Zsa Zsa along the beach. He saw the trash on the beach and was disappointed to see the garbage spread all over the beach. He started to pick up the junk and instead of throwing that in the bin he started to reuse the dumped articles in his striking art pieces. He not only used his lawn but also that of his neighbours to display his art work that includes animals, Greek Gods, samurai warriors, and other such strange and elegant sculptures. He suspended fifty seven hard hats, which he got from the beach trash, on a treeâs branches giving it a look of ornamental Christmas tree.
The Deaconess, the 5-foot-high canine shown in the picture above, is made up of blue propylene rope. This ordinary man who has worked as a florist, as a waiter and also as a carpenter is now famous for his junk art. His work is displayed in many big and small shows where several of his artefacts are sold for a grand price.
Via: Sfgate