New Year, New Start

Found Art was originally started over a decade ago. It was my response to 9-11. The world was full of fear and I wanted to bring about positive change. I tried peace vigils and anti-war marches, but they just weren't for me. I didn't feel that I was accomplishing anything.

For me, the experience of fear is very isolating and dark. The way for me to dispel fear is to open myself to others, and art is one way I can do this. By giving away my art, I am giving away a part of my soul. I feel good knowing that my art will likely brighten someone's day. So, with one action, I both give and receive.

I closed the Found Art site a few years ago when I was unable to maintain it. Now I have the time and better website knowledge to bring it back. This is my way of putting joy and love out into the world.

Related articles

• What if...?

Instant Art and Key Fob

I just left the key fob last night at Sam Hill's in Columbia Tennessee. The other piece will be at a mystery location. Whoever finds the instant art kit will have some work to do. It is filled will all sorts of bits and pieces and words to glue together into a collage. I wish I could see the finished product.'
Have fun!

My Wabi Sabi Found Art

These are just a sample of the mini-collages I have made to share as 'found art'. The process
of design and assembly has been such a joy! I
hope that they will be well received.

Hurt Box

I left the "Hurt Box" on Corry Street in Yellow Springs.
For a close up and background info check in with Jafabrit.
I am using a new method to attach bits of art, the magic of velcro.

Urban Knitting Graffiti

In the spirit of Knitta Jafagirl Nancy found some unfinished knitting and asked another jafa (moi) to bomb a tree for art stroll night in Yellow Springs.
Check out knitta, they are just a fantastic group and some of the things they have covered are so much fun.

floral rock

flower rock3
Originally uploaded by sapphire252

left behind for someone to find...

Worry Dolls

I have been making a few worry dolls for the art ball machine in the Emporium in Yellow Springs, but thought it would be fun to leave a few of these for people to find :) They are about 1 inch tall and have a worry face drawn on the back.

New Found Art Card

This is a photo I took of my son to use for one of my urban found art pieces. It is printed on sticky photo paper. The statement reads: mutiny against conformism.

Leaving more art...

I am still leaving my beaded bookmarkers around town.... also, a link to my altered book gallery ..would love any comments, feedback or helpful suggestions from other artist or crafters as I have just started doing altered books, and it can be hard to critique your own pieces sometimes....http://bestowmyart.blogspot.com/

Coffee Head

"Caffeine isn't a drug, it's a vitamin!"

I left this in my fave local cafe in Yellow Springs, Oh.

Lighthouse sketches

Hi,

My name is Bobby Leberak and I am 65 1/2 years old and I have been leaving photographs that were taken near my home in Manitowoc, WI in various places around our state, Malls, hospitals, nursing homes, airports, grocery stores, a radio station, and have exported some with friends and relatives that live in Biloxi, Mississippi. I also left a couple of sketches of a Lake Michigan lighthouse in Beaver Dam, WI

It has been a lot of fun leaving these Found-Art items and although I have yet to hear from anyone that has found them, I will continue because it is just so darn much fun!

Here are photos of the sketches of the Rawley Point Light House located in the Point Beach State Forest on Lake Michigans Western shore.

My photography has been discribed by some as beeing a little bizzare but I have fun with it, especially with the advent of "lightrooms" and being able to digitally manipulate the images. This photo started life as a 4X5 black and white photo of a twig on a lilac tree and ended up as Found-Art looking like this:

Beaded Bookmarks

I make beaded bookmarks and I like to leave them in hospital waiting rooms and the benches outside where many people read. I just started doing this. I put the bookmarks on a piece of card stock and then into a zip lock baggie with the Found Art sticker taped to the outside.

Rocky Mountain Art Leavings

We just got back from Breckenridge, Colorado from a ski trip. I left several pieces around at places in the village. Some on trees, a bench in a pavillion with a fire pit, the restroom by the Quicksilver lift, a restaurant called The Maggie, and with a lady in a gallery of pet art. The animal art was very impressive. I had a blast.

Little Angels

A fellow jafagirl Deb made little angels to leave around town. The wings are bits of wood that deb used a marker on. Mine and Nancy's are on the video. You can see some more pics of deb on the Yellow Springs Arts page.

Thoughts in a Tiny Mosaic

They may be silly, but I've made a few dozen of these things . . . a couple of words encased in a bottle cap with stained glass, inserted in a plastic snack bag with a business card letting the 'finder' know what they've found. I'm kind of nervous about letting them go . . .

Scrap Wood Art

Hi, everyone! I have been busy at work, but still creating Found Art. Just haven't had the time to scan stuff before I leave it. This weekend I decided I would make the time and post some more art.

I found a fence company in my town that has a FREE Wood box. I've started painting scraps of wood to leave as Found Art. Here's one of the pieces I'll be leaving for someone this week. I've posted pictures of two more pieces on my Found Art Blog.


I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. While this time of the year is the hardest to find time to create, it's the most exciting time of the year to leave Found Art. Have fun!

Found Art in Jafabrit's Studio On Video

I did a wee video of found art in my studio on youtube. Here is one the new pieces my jafa friends and I are going to hang in downtown Yellow Springs, Ohio in December.

Pins to Find

Here are three pins that I made from a styrofoam tray that I was using for a palette. The colors looked so cool, I cut it into strips and looked at it for a few days, wondering what to make out of it. Finally I decided to collage some pins. They have magazine words, netting, heart glitter, and buttons. Add a pin back and voila'-art from trash. I left two at the YMCA and still have one to leave. Finders...enjoy!
My Site

Leaving Lots of Art

I have been leaving Found Art, but haven't been posting here -- mostly because of time issues, but also because I didn't have any fun pics to share. In my unpacking at my new home, I found a stash of Found Art I had made months ago but had never left. So I've had a lot to leavel I've left art along the streets of Boston, in the Back Bay train station, on seats in the train, in newspaper bins, etc.

I walk to and from the train station every day. It's fun to have a handful of art and search for places to leave it along my route. I left one piece under the windshield wiper on a car. I hope they didn't think it was a ticket at first. The car behind this one had a bright orange ticket. My art was green, so it shouldn't have been confused with a ticket...I hope. Didn't want to give someone a heartattack on the way to their car.

When I found my stash of Found Art, I found a few I had made for the Christmas season that was never left last year. Now I have something to start with this year. When I make art for the Christmas season, I try to make it something anyone could enjoy -- no matter if they celebrate the holiday or not. The pieces I found mention slowing down during this hectic season and watching for the return of light.