Retired art teacher Karen Randolph starts with the clear liner from a cereal box as her blank canvas, then builds on it with reclaimed plastic: newspaper delivery bags in surprisingly bright colors, black construction bags, white shrink wrap, old retail shopping bags, and bubble wrap in circles, squares, even hearts. She irons two to six layers into fused sheets, then cuts and arranges them into abstract, evocative compositions, accented with salvaged tissue paper, textile scraps, and embroidery floss. Each finished picture is sewn onto cardstock, fabric, or recycled paper, and mounted.

Every piece is an original, five to ten hours of ironing, cutting, and stitching. Karen hopes to run out of plastic someday — which would mean we’ve evolved. Until then, she’s got plenty to work with. Single-use, meet long-term.