“My handmade paper artworks stem from my belief in the saying that ‘if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.’ Growing awareness of environmental issues, together with limited recycling programs in our area, prompted my obsession to up-cycle paper and garden discards into artistic creations.

As global consumerism invades our world, we all have a responsibility to honour the philosophy of repairing, reducing and recycling. We also have an opportunity to turn the waste of our consumed pleasures into new, exciting, innovative and reusable items that will not only please, but also reduce our carbon footprint. On a morning walk I came upon some wonderful knotted ropes that immediately became part of a handmade paper artwork entitled ‘Nautical Knots.’

For the Waste Art Exhibition in Nassau, my piece ‘All that Glitters is Gold’ looked at the debris of our consumerist society in a different light. If there is beauty in a shell washed up on the beach, can we find beauty in the trash that has now become an integral part of our environment? A mix of seaweed, a variety of knots, cans, a toothbrush, a comb and shells were transformed into an art piece.”

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Del Foxton is an artist working primarily in handmade paper. In 2005 she founded Adagio Art Gallery & Studio on Grand Bahama Island, where she creates and exhibits her paper artworks which mainly use local vegetation as a resource. Her work also frequently incorporates discarded objects, and she is delighted that in her small way she can lessen her carbon footprint while indulging in her passion.