An Ode to Every Reused Piece of Material

Do you have a creative reuse center somewhere nearby? It's a place where you can find materials for all kinds of creative or practical projects.

If so, I absolutely recommend visiting it! For me, it's like walking through a wonderland, discovering crazy things I didn't even know existed, as well as practical materials you can get for less money. And the best part? You get to give materials a second life instead of letting them go to waste.

I mean, could there be a better place to find materials for cool projects?

During my last stroll through Offcut Basel, I came across those little fabric samples you know from choosing a sofa. You know, the tiny pieces that are supposed to give you an idea of what your future sofa might look like… or not. ;)

And as you already see, I found a lot more, but that’s a story for another time!

I immediately thought they would make a great surface for painting, so I gave it a try… and I absolutely love it!

Of course, you never really know how it's going to turn out, since every piece of fabric has its own texture and colour composition. The colors develop a will of their own on these little pieces of fabric, and it's not always easy to control what happens.

But for me, that's exactly what makes the experiment exciting — and the resulting artwork so special.

And the best part? Even if it turns out shitty, at least I've created something. I've had some fun, and if necessary, I can always blame the material for the failure and move on with my head held high…

…but since this one turned out great, I'll take full responsibility for this piece of art, of course.

The piece captures a moment of surf chaos from a bird’s-eye view — vibrant colours, swirling waves, and people connecting with the ocean (or getting wiped out by it).

Here are a few pictures of the process and details. I hope you enjoy it!