One man's trash is another woman's necklace--Creative women find beauty in the scrap heap
Lyndonville, VT
Be careful what you assume about that person you see digging through trashheaps. They're not all mumbling about aliens trying to steal their brain waves.
Some of those people sifting through garbage are artistic geniuses, like Lyndonville artists Meryl Keegan and Ellen Levitt. Oh sure, they would resist the "genius" label, but how else would you describe a person that sees the value in trash and convinces others to do the same?
It all started about five years ago when the two friends were running down a road in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Their artistic eyes were drawn toward rusty car parts lying by the side of the road. They decided to take a few pieces home and see what might happen creatively.
What were they thinking?
"I think the key is that we weren't thinking," says Levitt. "It was really intuitive."
The two began twisting metal, painting straight on rust and sealing the final product in polyurethane.
Today, as they sort through a box of their first pieces, the two can't resist a fit of laughing hysterics.
Each pin and necklace seems to weigh about five pounds.
"We used to laugh that we'd need a disclaimer because these things were so heavy and sharp," says Keegan. "But then the medium had control over us. Now we have control over it.
Even with the initial imperfections, Keegan and Levitt realized the potential of their unique concept. Soon they officially declared themselves a business - "Alchemy," wearable art from found objects.
While early pieces were truly one-of-a-kind, one favorite became a standard: bottlecap earrings.
"We used to hit redemption centers all the time," says Levitt. "Our favorite spot was Great Woods (Performing Arts Center), because bottles aren't allowed inside and we'd get lots of caps from people drinking in the parking lots."
Another classic hangout for the two was the local lumber yard, where they found huge piles of valuable banding wire. Their unusual art materials led to some problems, however. Whereas most jewelers use soft metals, Levitt and Keegan were dealing with some fairly inflexible metals. Initially,they struggled with tin snips to make shapes, but later began making dies and working with a punchpress.
"We're not jewelers and never claimed to be jewelers," says Levitt. "We really respect the people that do it. It's very labor intensive."
In fact, the two craft artists readily admit that in an ideal world they wouldn't be making jewelry.
"The jewelry evolved from two artists who needed a steady income," explains Keegan.
Both Keegan and Levitt are trained artists with experience in art education. Levitt's forte' is surface design and fabric art, and she still teaches art part-time at the Lyndon Institute. Keegan is a painter of uncommon talent, and she still takes on the canvas when she has time.
In Alchemy's first days, both Keegan and Levitt created each piece from start to finish. Today, Levitt focuses exclusively on design and construction, while Keegan focuses on painting. But even as she paints rusty metal hour after hour, day after day, she is enthusiastic about the work.
"I have learned an incredible amount about color," she says. "I'm constantly doing combinations of color - that's all I do."
Keegan does get a break from time to time, however, as she travels all over America to market Alchemy in new markets like Arizona and Ohio. So far, a number of galleries, museums and environmental stores have expressed interest.
"What we're doing now is deciding whether this is really worth pursuing as a business," she says. "It's a major push for the wholesale market."
Even though the forty something women have made their business survive for five years, they insist that Alchemy isn't making them rich. Nevertheless, they have learned a great deal in their constant study of form, design, color, marketing and patience.
"If you're not willing to let the business teach you, then you're really working against yourself," says Levitt.
And just as the women from Lyndonville were open-minded about that roadside trash five years ago,they continue to constantly ponder the possibilities. A recent addition to Alchemy is a line of picture frames - also made from found objects.
"The business will change - it's already changing," says Keegan, scratching her nose with a paintbrush. " ...There's no going back. There is only going forward."
CraftWise is a joint project of the Vermont Crafts Council and the Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Centers. For more information about Alchemy, call Frog Hollow at (802)
388-3177.
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