Artfully Recycled – The Name Says It All

By the Leeds & Grenville Economic Development Office

MALLORYTOWN – Laurie Sponagle combines creativity and responsibility with her business Artfully Recycled.

The visual artist has found a new artistic path with her home and garden décor. Her floral creations are fun, often boldly painted, sometimes sculptural, cheery and highly identifiable by her many loyal customers.

“I’m bringing smiles to people’s faces, whether they’re young or old, and no matter what gender,” says Laurie. She recalls how a 10-year-old girl bought one of her signature wallflowers. Seeing the joy on the girl’s face made that particular art show very memorable. “It meant something to her and that makes me happy,” says Laurie.

And there is a very unique flip side to Laurie’s work because it is also eco-conscious. Her handmade creations are made with recycled materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill site.

“I like telling the story associated with the materials within my pieces,” she says. These stories may include the origins of the salvaged materials, the design inspiration, the deconstruction and reconstruction, and these are what make the pieces even more unique.

The stories of the materials sometimes have an even deeper community connection. With each sale of garden angels created from wainscotting from the Athens Village Store, a portion is donated back to the Brockville & Area Food Bank.

A picket fence removed from the Mallorytown community garden will become flowers that will be donated to community fundraisers.

Known for many years in Eastern Ontario and Toronto for her charcoal drawings, Laurie’s new business emerged in 2016 following a renovation at her Mallorytown family home and, as luck would have it, also working for a garden maintenance company.

What to do with leftover floorboards from her house sparked her math, picture framing and manufacturing background and united them with her artistic side.

“The floral wall and garden sculptures were born, but almost immediately, customers were telling me that they were enjoying my creations within their interior living spaces as well,” reflects Laurie.

“The inspiration that comes from the salvaged items and their evolution into new designs are exciting,” she says, noting that she’s created more than 2,000 floral pieces.

Items range from very small production designs to one-of-a-kind commissions such as an 8-foot flower. The wood for these 4-foot petals was salvaged from the house renovation of the home associated with the barn that it hangs on.

“All of the things in my life have brought me to this,” Laurie says, including skills she acquired working at the former SCI plant and Hang-ups in Brockville.

“My goal is to create fine quality innovative pieces that are going to last and age gracefully.”

Learn more about Artfully Recycled on the website, FB page #artfullyrecycled and Instagram pages @artfullyrecycled.