Artist Jason Mecier helps the world find beauty in unexpected places. The Celebrity Junk Drawer artist creates high art mosaics from the trash of celebrities. Mecier’s work rivals that of Rumpelstiltskin; by shedding light on the insane amount of waste we disregard in our daily lives, he spins garbage into provocative rays of hope.

How did celebrity culture become the major theme of your art?

I don’t know why, but it’s always been there. As a kid I remember obsessively clipping and scrap-booking pictures from the TV Guide of my favorite shows. In high school I did pencil drawings of my favorite record covers like The Rolling Stones, Olivia Newton-John and Pat Benatar. Later I did a series of psychedelic collages using Charlie’s Angels trading cards and picture of Florence Henderson from the Wesson Oil coupons and ads. Soon I was arranging beans and noodles into larger portraits of these icons. It just exploded from there!

What is your art background?

Though I have no formal art training, I did have an excellent mentor in my grandmother, Anita Tollefson. When I was young, I remember being mesmerized by her paintings, weavings, mosaics, sculptures, collages and stained glass work that filled my grandparents’ house and yard. If Anita was working on an art project, she would set me up at a nearby table with a project of my own to work on. One of my earliest pieces, is a mosaic made from beans, noodles, rocks and cut bamboo sticks glued on a piece of wood. My grandmother encouraged me to create masterpieces using materials readily available to me. She would rather paint on the back of her cigarette cartons than buy a canvas. I learned from her that I can make art out of anything I want to, and that there are no rules.

How long does it take to make each portrait?

At least 50 hours, but many take much, much longer! Lady Gaga and Farrah Fawcett each took almost two months and hundreds of hours!

“I learned from her that I can make art out of anything I want to, and that there are no rules.”

The craft of an artist seems to speak volumes beyond the art itself. Is there an ultimate message to be found in your work?

I don’t have a specific message. I expect each viewer to think what they want. At the most I would like people to notice all of the consumer waste especially here in America and maybe think twice about what we are doing with our trash.

Is there a process for deciding what materials you will use in a piece?

I enjoy trying to match the perfect items, colors and themes with the essence of each unique subject. Some fun examples include: Rosie O’Donnell made out of junk food, Snoop Dogg made out of marijuana, Sigmund Freud made out of pills. Sometimes the name suggests the medium. Guess what materials I used to make the following portraits: Condoleezza Rice, Salt-N-Peppa, Kevin Bacon, Kat Von D, and Dog, The Bounty Hunter.* (*ANSWERS: Rice, salt and pepper, bacon, cat food and… dog food!)

How do you preserve the food items?

I use an acrylic sealant to help preserve the lifespan of mosaics made of beans, noodles, candy, dog food and junk food (like pretzels, chips, cookies and crackers.) I haven’t found a solution to preserving fresh foods like lunchmeat, fruit, vegetables, soup, macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, pickle relish, or McDonald’s, so after photographing the final art piece I quickly throw it in the trash before the ants and flies take over.

Where do you show your art?

My portraits have been shown in just about every venue imaginable – from cafes and hair salons to art galleries, major museums and inside celebrity homes. Both my commercial art and fine art pieces have been published in international magazines and broadcast on network television programs.

-Li St. Michael

More on Art from HalogenTV.com:

1. Turning Trash into Art: A Safe Place for Chairs
2. Arts & Crafts Revival Rises to New Demographics
3. Artfully Crowdsourced: They Draw & Cook & Travel!
4. Terminally Ill 5-Year-Old Artist Helps Kids

Watch “Concrete Canvas” featuring renowned pavement artist Julian Beever around the world as he creates his unique 3D chalk drawings that you’ve probably seen in your email inbox.