Carolyn Parton

"My art is underpinned by ongoing research into the impact of artists and their art making upon environment."

"Over the past few years I have collected spent and discarded paint from acclaimed international artists such as Marlene Dumas to local house painters."

"I integrate this paint in works that can be considered as landscape due to the destiny of the paint as landfill before being reclaimed in an artwork. The weight of the paint informs the title of the works."

"“As an artist, you’re always throwing away small amounts of paint, but when you add it up, you realise how substantial it is. The idea came to me after I’d completed a large installation. I had so much paint left at the end of it, that I realised the extent of the leftover paint – the weight and heaviness of it. So I decided to work with it.”"

"Some of the ingredients in the pigment used in paint are poisonous and produce toxic waste during their manufacture. As environmental awareness increases many paint suppliers are improving their environmental credentials. However labelling can often be misleading."

"“No matter how depressing the environmental debate can become, creative thinking and action and shift it into positive territory and has the potential to precipitate and evolutionary leap that can benefit all.”"

"“Over the past few years I have collected spent and discarded paint from acclaimed international artists such as Marlene Dumas to local house painters where I live. I integrate this paint in works that, to me, are actual landscapes, because the paint was destined for landfill before becoming part of the artwork,”"

"“My art is underpinned by ongoing research into the impact of artists and their art making upon environment and a thought that I once came across, which is constantly on my mind, is that when you throw away there is no away.”"

"“I have a friend who struggles financially, and I love the way it’s reflected in her tubes with every last drop squeezed out of them. Other tubes have remnants such as hairs trapped in paint that has oozed out of the tube and dried, or the smudged paint fingerprints where they have been squeezed.”"

"“I build layer upon layer and before I know it, it is 10 kg.”"

"“I have always had an interest in where things come from and where they’re going and in my works I focus on the intrinsic connection that paint has with land.”"

"“Often I find that artists have an attachment to their old paint tubes, Marlene Dumas for example kept her tubes since she was a student.”"

"“I see my work as breaking down something unusable in order to build it up in the form of an artwork which ideally will be kept indefinitely.”"

"“My goal is to always look intensely at the impact of what I do in my life, where something I use comes from, what it really is, and where it’s going.”"

"To ensure that her work has a minimal impact on the environment Carolyn’s work involves the collection and reclamation of spent paint from painters – ranging from international artists to local contract painters. She removes the leftover paint from tins or cans and uses this paint to create her masterpieces such as Threshold and Transcodes featured in this Blog post. She even uses the hardened bits of nail varnish."