Tossed and found items become art in Jasper Artists Guild’s third annual UPcycle exhibit, opening tomorrow, Jan. 13, at the Brushfire Gallery.

Visitors to the gallery can expect to find up to 20 three-dimensional pieces created from recycled materials. In the past, there was a dinosaur made from pop bottles, a dragon made from a discarded bed frame and a hanging mobile made from children’s toys.

“It’s incredibly diverse,” said JAG’s secretary, Greg Deagle, who has created two pieces for this year’s show.

“One is a collage of scrap metal pieces on a brightly painted wooden backboard and the other is a deconstructed Mona Lisa.

“I’ve taken the Mona Lisa and I’ve cut it into three-quarter-inch strips and then I’ve woven it into a steel grid of caging wire. When you look at it you can certainly tell that it’s the Mona Lisa, although she has been completely reconfigured and reinvented.”

Deagle said UPcycle is always well received by the artists because it allows them to “step outside the predictable box.”

It also allows them the opportunity to say something with their art.

“UPcycle is like a meeting place for art and the environment. When you go around and look at these creations, they raise questions about consumerism and waste and sustainability.”

There is no end date for the UPcycle show, as there isn’t yet an exhibition scheduled for February.

Opening alongside the recycled creations will also be the Winter Blast exhibit, which is scheduled to remain on display until the May long weekend.

Winter Blast is an exhibition of work created by between 15 and 20 of JAG’s members. 

“It’s what we call a rotating display or a rotating exhibition,” said Deagle. “When I say rotating it means that we alter the location of paintings within the Winter Blast show, or as new work arrives, we will take certain paintings down and replace them with others.”

The opening gala for both shows is Friday, Jan. 13, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Brushfire Gallery, located in the old fire hall. There will be music and refreshments during the show.

Following the opening, the exhibitions will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.