Nigh 5

My eight year old daughter likes to keep empty snack boxes and packing materials. Even though these bits and pieces are no longer needed by me, they are a valuable resource for her crafts, and whenever she has free time she has fun by cutting and pasting them to create something. I think that this is the mindset shared in common with Nicole McLaughlin. The used clothes and scraps that McLaughlin chose at the beginning to use as her creative material still hold the seeds of possibility in her eyes, and they boundlessly provide her with fresh inspiration. She breathes new life into these items with her playful nature and unparalleled insight, and they are reborn as charming new works. They also embody upcycling’s appeal, and the message of sustainability which in theory alone often is nothing more than greenwashing reaches the viewer filled with hope that even draws out our desire to create. Looking at the many works recycled by her once again reminds us that creative perspective and unfettered imagination are what lead to new vision.