Found and Made The Art of Upcycling: Activities to turn your trash into treasure by Lisa Holzl

Walker Books, 2015. ISBN: 9781922179098
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Nonfiction. Subjects: Art - found materials, Recycling, Crafts. Lisa Holzl is an accomplished artist who runs a children's and adults' workshops at The BakeHouse in Marrickville, Sydney. This is another enjoyable and creative book from the author of Found The Art of Recycling.
Here are more exciting opportunities for creativity as we turn trash into treasure. Some of her young students' work is showcased in her second book, Found and Made The Art of Upcycling. Eleven easy to make projects are included using upcycling, a fun way to repurpose everyday items; a plain shoebox transforms into a treasure box decorated with old maps, torn newspapers, stamps, free postcards and filled with smaller boxes. The Fantasy Room Montage incorporates pictures from old home decor magazines of similar size and scale, with some imaginative layering a brand new room is created. The choices of composition, placement, layering, colour or a monochrome effect are up to the young artist.
Each project is laid out clearly and sequentially from Before You Start, Recycled Material and Equipment through to Step by Step instructions. Other ideas and links to websites and artists such as Richard Hamilton, Tom Wesselman and Henry Matisse provide opportunities for the young artist to engage and discover new ideas and develop new appreciation of their mediums and styles. The well-designed layout includes multi-coloured photographs of the tools and materials needed, vibrant backgrounds and easy to read text boxes.
This book would make a welcome gift for any budding young artist, a great resource for schools and for fun for family activities during the holidays.
Rhyllis Bignell