Artist Cherylee Duncan turns someone else’s trash into another person’s landscape treasure

For artist Cherylee Duncan, her art is rooted in three R’s: reuse, reimagine and respect for what already exists.

Pottery Place Plus is presenting Duncan’s “Threadscapes,” a collection of mixed media landscapes crafted entirely from recycled and found materials. Duncan is a member of the artisans co-op there.

Duncan’s work is driven by personal values and environmental concerns.

“There is so much haphazard waste today,” Duncan said. “Unlike in decades past when we tried to use everything as much as possible and not purchase on a whim.”

This inspired her to start crocheting rugs from recycled fabrics.

“There’s already so much out there needing to be reused,” she said.

When asked how she decides what belongs in a piece, she said, “I don’t really decide.”

Her collection is filled with what she calls “textural waste”: old place mats, broken shoelaces, upholstery samples, fruit netting, torn doilies and thrifted ribbons. From this collection, landscapes begin to emerge.

The works featured in “Threadscapes” are framed, highly textured landscapes built from materials that might otherwise be overlooked or discarded.

Duncan shares resources like Art Salvage Spokane as example of how communities can support sustainable creativity by keeping materials in circulation.

“If someone walks away remembering just one thing,” she said, “I hope it’s to think before you buy, and to try to reuse as much as possible.”