14 DAY TRIAL // Just in case some still doubt that, instead of simply throwing them away, there are better things to do with bits and pieces of plastic that nobody has any use for any longer, here are two works of art made by South African artist Mbongeni Buthelezi.
Although they look very much as if they were oil paintings, these artworks are actually made from fragments of discarded plastics, Earth 911 tells us.
By the looks of it, the artist first started using this material to create works of art at the beginning of his career. At that time, he turned to this medium due to the fact that he did not have enough money to buy oil paint.
Fast forward 20 years, and Mbongeni Buthelezi has managed to perfect his craft to such an extent that, from behind a computer screen, it is almost impossible to tell that his works are not paintings.
The same source details that, in order to have his creations look less like bits and pieces of plastic that have been simply glued to a canvas, the artist melts the debris he uses in his work. This allows him to make the plastic debris take various shapes.
In order to create the illusion of brush strokes and even carvings, he makes fragments of plastic waste stick together before placing them on his canvas.
Depending on the complexity of the project he is working on, Mbongeni Buthelezi can end up incorporating some 5,000 pieces of plastic in his work.
The artist currently lives in Johannesburg, and the materials he uses come from recycling yards found in the proximity of his workshop.