Welcome to Big On Junk!

I am a self-taught artist; for as long as I can remember I have been creative. My medium is Pique Assiette and I currently live in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands is part of Spain and located off the West Coast of Africa. I believe my life experience and the different culture I am surrounded with is now a part of me and shows up in my artwork which has a distinctive Spanish flair.If you’re not familiar with Pique Assiette, it is a technique similar to mosaics. The difference lies in that only tile is used in mosaics, while found objects-anything and everything goes in Pique Assiette! I am totally in love with my art and the best part is; if oops! something breaks…it’s ok because it’s all recycled again! I’ve been doing Pique Assiette for about ten years now. At the beginning my style was much more conservative/traditional.

My First Piece: Tabletop

I'm also an artsy designer and a craft addict. Lately, I have also become a junker or dumpster diver! Mostly this is due to my artwork, which calls for certain materials like broken mirrors.

My BBQ Bar

When most people pass the trash, some see an ambiguous pile of discarded junk. I see: a new life for other people’s cast-offs. Those parts salvaged from old pieces can give new ones character. I freecycle material this way and come up with ideas from all things original and unique, turning ordinary into extraordinary, into true one-of-a-kind works of art. In other words, trash to treasure. Our home is my personal gallery for my creativity.

From your inspirational blogs, I learned there are many of you out there that think as I do. We love to collect, re-cycle, and re-invent.We love to give a new lease on life to old, ugly pieces of furniture, family heirlooms, china, mirror, beads, bottle caps, colored glass, costume jewelry, marbles, seashells, dominos, buttons, coins, keys and anything that we can get our hands on! We are passionate about what we do and we use our resources to be creative. We get our highs on rummaging through secondhand stores and “hunting” for treasures at flea markets and garage sales. And what is more, we are capable of making treasures so unique, you’ll never find them at the mall!

I really believe, you don’t have to have money to have style and it’s really not about where something comes from, is it? As long as it has style.

This blog is where I will be sharing and exploring new artistic endeavors, ideas and most importantly my inspiration with you.

After experimenting with everyone else’s technique to Pique Assiette, by trial and error I came up with my own which I have perfected and will share with you because, believe me, it’s the easiest of all!. I include downloadable instructions in English and/or Spanish on my personal easy technique to this intriging art form. Once you get the knack, you’ll be “pique assietteing” everything like ugly, cheap, damaged: furniture, trays, wastepaper baskets, tables, lazy susans, frames, vases, etc. that you’ll be picking up for almost nothing at garage sales, flea markets, curbside, etc. and turning them into one-of-a-kind pieces of art!

In addition to Pique Assiette, I have put together a collection of artsy, creative, diversified craft projects and techniques. Most of these projects are my originals done through the years, but some I admit I have collected and improved.

I will also be sharing with you before and after pictures of the renovation of our home here in the Canary Islands, which is no small feat!

I hope you are as inspired by my blog as I am with all of yours!

Please bookmark me!

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