This awesome tutorial featured at the blog Love My Art Jewelry on how to make your own clay cutters uses copper sheets but if you are careful I bet working with recycled soda cans could work too. I have 3-d print some cutters but I haven’t had luck getting the sides very thin. I might try using the 3-d print cutter as a guide and wrapping it with either the copper sheet or the recycled soda can strip. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
Have you read?
From Trash to Illusion: Thomas Deininger’s Recycled Art Challenges Perception and Promotes Sustainability
If you’ve ever looked at a pile of junk and thought, “This is just trash,” Thomas Deininger might have something to say about that. Based in Rhode Island, this incredibly clever artist has a knack for turning what most of us would toss in the bin—think broken toys, bits of plastic, even old electronics—into jaw-dropping pieces of art. What’s wild is how his sculptures often look like realistic animals or landscapes from a distance… but when you step closer, boom—you’re hit with the chaos of everyday debris woven into a detailed scene.
I first came across his work when I was scrolling through some recycled art ideas, and his “Striped Bass” piece totally stopped me in my tracks. From far away, it’s like you’re looking at a photograph. But up close, you start spotting action figures, bottle caps, and tangled wires all working together to make up the image. It’s mind-blowing.
What I really love about Thomas’s approach is how it blends creativity with a message. His work is fun and clever, sure—but it also hits on bigger things like overconsumption and the mountains of waste we create. He somehow manages to make that message stick without being preachy, just by showing how beautiful and meaningful our “trash” can actually be.
Whether you’re into environmental art or just love seeing imagination come to life, Thomas Deininger’s work is definitely worth checking out. It’s inspiring, a little chaotic, and totally unforgettable.