Murston HeArt Poppy Project 2018

More details www.murstonheart.org


 Here are a few photos of what we have been up to Please make a poppy for 2018

Bottle People Keepers

How to make your own Bottle person who will keep your stuff safe. Recycling fun

What!

What ! is a new piece of work by me - Sioux Peto

I have gathered un-recyclable items from my everyday life, that normally end up in landfill. Little bits of plastic, lids, pens and loads of small useless items that come with other things, and more things - and its amazing how much there is.

What do I do with it ? What do we do with it ?

The top is made of old vinyl records that no one wants. Really bad music and songs. How or where can theses be recycled. The legs are just rubbish - really they are, just rubbish, that would end up in landfill, pens I have loads of pens that don't work! How to they get reused? Lids everything has lids bits of old makeup. Free things why are they free? and why have I got them? Lids everything has at least two lids or seems to. Everything has tags on it I don't want them. Why is it all so difficult to recycle and complicated. So complicated.

We (as humans) really need to look harder at recycling our materials. 

What is based on an old plastic garden table. I have created this statement piece using everyday objects - I do try and buy "green" products but I believe more has to be done, just look at your own stuff, I only collected ours for a few months.

I Like shopping and have always thought I am careful. Why do we have to have so much packaging, why is there plastic tags on everything and everything is packed inside something else. If we are going to have plastic everywhere why can't  it be recycled? We need to serious look at what is thrown away and what is packaging?

All I/we can do at the moment is try and recycle as much as I can or know we can. 

The Green bin always has plastic in it - its made of plastic too. Plastic is not going away so we are going to have to learn to live with it and use it. It all can be recycled. But until there is a demand and its commercial no one wants to listen.

I like my table.

Slideshow Testing

Sioux Now delivers Environmentally friendly works shops for festivals, schools and events. Recycle, Reuse, Reduce and ENJOY

Pots and Pots on a Sunday

Spent a really relaxing Sunday decorating old tin cans, jam jars and half a plastic bottle. This project cost me nothing.
I know I am lucky to have loads of odd materials - I have been collecting for quite a while now (most of life in-fact wow that is a long while!!!!) anyway. But we can all just look in our recycling bin and see bits of paper that would be good to use, so much junk mail comes through our doors, magazines we read and discard. Wrapping paper is great, my family keep their's for me now. Old books the paper is wonderful for all sorts of art projects. It's great for origami and rips beautifully.

So I got out an old book we have loads, some brown wrapping paper that came with all my internet shopping and some red tissue paper that had been on a present my sister gave me, also found a scrap of lovely colour material that used to be a scarf. Some string - always buy jute string it's great for everything and my trusted pot of PVA. When I make stuff I do make a mess. I must take photos of the process next time so you can see How to make use of your house hold rubbish.

Award winning garden

2015 saw lots of changes in our lives, but one our our highlights was winning a silver gilt award from the Kent Wildlife Trust for our wildlife garden.

Sad that I can't share my pics direct from Flickr anymore. So sorry You will now have to click in this link hope that's ok, it will be worth it

https://www.flickr.com/gp/50646987@N06/68oa86

New in 2016

Forgot I had blog 

This is the grain on Colin's new log box Wow it's stunning and now available at our Etsy shop click on the link

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PolkaDotArts?ref=ss_profile

New Workshop Ideas for 2015

Sioux Peto from Polka Dot Arts now delivers  Workshops for Schools, Festival and events. Please contact me for further details
This is a small selection of our work
please click on link


loads of pics here

Update on my working arrangements!

Quick Reminder The good news is I officially no longer work with Litter Angels.

The Even Better News is I am back to being an independent artist working within and for the environment on my own projects. These will be starting soon - I am so into gardening at the moment.

But I still offer great fun packed upcycling workshops for all ages, attend festivals and events and will be opening the wonderful totally independent Polka Dot again in October with loads of New Work from Colin Barnard and myself.

Thank you to everyones support over the past year - I am very lucky.

Artists in the Woods 2014

The Artists in the Woods event is now the "Loveliest Green Festival in Swale"

and my favourite festival - I know I help organise it - but hey! its true.

Sunday July 6th 

10-4pm

Loads of wonderful artists (nearly all my friends) will be gathering in the magical sparkly wooded Country Park that is Oare Gunpowder Works. They will be there to showcase their amazing talents in our amazing Swale Countryside bringing Art and the environment together (my favourite subjects)

I will be there making dragonflies from twigs, pipe cleaners and paper for £1 - please join me

a full list of artists and performers is now available at

www.swaleartsforum.org/artists-in-the-woods-2014

Workshop ideas for Schools

Please click to view some ideas for workshops
http://s.wowslider.net/3GY

pART project

Until 19th March 2014 I will be at
the pART project
Unit 16 The Forum Shopping Centre
High Street Sittingbourne

Doing amazing art projects and having fun with the people of Sittingbourne

http://www.facebook.com/pages/PART-project

Litter Pick June 8th Back of Sittingbourne High Street

Litter Pick, a set on Flickr.
click on pic to to enlarge 

Today June 8th from 11-1pm  The crew, Susannah, Colin and myself went out with the 10th Scout Group Sittingbourne. We all met at Roman Square and attempted to do a litter pick behind the shops and alley ways of Sittingbourne High Street. We had our usual gear - bags, litter pickers, gloves, buckets, brooms and high viz jackets. There where about 30 of us including grown ups. We were ready to find the rubbish.

Well! the boys and girls aged from 6-15yrs were disgusted and the adults shocked. Who is responsible for all this litter, rubbish, flytipping etc?.

I was also so disappointed at the amount that had accumulated since I choose this spot. Commercial food waste had just been left in open black sacks, loads and loads of plastic and cardboard packaging and books, clothes and other horrid things that we can't speak about were all found. Plus 1,000's of cigarette butts lay on the paths and sides outside shop doors and back entrances.

Who has done this to our town? and who is cleaning it up?  Well today it was 6-15yrs olds - as they did care.

We are so lucky in Sittingbourne to have open and green spaces behind our high street and the buildings themselves are really beautiful and interesting many with real historic merit. I was also surprised how many people use these spaces as a walk through and an alternative to walking in the High Street. These spaces should be utilised and cared for.

Remember its not everyone, I know alot of people who do care but what is wrong with some of our businesses, landlords, shop owners, shop tenants, shop users infact anyone using public spaces!  Its the small minority that keep spoiling it for all of us.  Everyone can do something about this problem right now and it would improve the High Street's image straight away.  DO NOT LEAVE OR DROP LITTER.Report your neighbour, report the shop you know who leaves commercial foods stuff or packaging. Lets shame and blame! Lets make Sittingbourne the clean and green space it should be.

It doesn't cost anything to take pride in where you live. 

Swale Borough Council spend £1.5 million of our money cleaning the streets of the rubbish that people have dumped or dropped, often deliberately. There are bins and everyone is responsible. Imagine what could have been done with this money. More bins, parks and open spaces, flowers, less potholes, after school and youth projects etc. Personally, I think the council do a great job on the high Street but as the land behind the shops is private as the law stands at the moment can not go on it to clean it. 

Swale Borough Council can enforce penalties.

Contact the environmental wardens 

http://www.swale.gov.uk/contact-us/

or phone 01795 01795 417850 and ask for them.

We picked up over 30 bags of general litter, 3 buckets of bottles and 3 bags of cans plus 1 hypodermic syringe! But really didn't and couldn't even touch the surface of this area.

Polka Dot Art Centre Garden

Polka Dot Art Centre Garden, a set on Flickr.

Click onPhotos to see them bigger

We have been really busy this bank holiday weekend tidying up the garden. Shame we are not open this year - wait till next year it will be amazing but we will keep you updated of our work