Annie Graham

2025

40 cm diameter

mirror ball pieces, assorted plastic trash, paper, watercolor, resin on wood

From a series of resin on wood pieces using mirror ball pieces donated by a friend. I was thinking about weaving, illusions, artefacts, and the many ways to capture light and movement within a structured surface.

2025

20 × 20 cm

mirror ball pieces, assorted plastic trash, plastic nurdles, acrylic paint, resin on wood

From a series of resin on wood pieces using mirror ball pieces donated by a friend. I was thinking about weaving, illusions, artefacts, and the many ways to capture light and movement within a structured surface. This one is an ode to a geometric Lisa Frank utopia, in space. When I let myself play, there is always a spark of joy!

2025

24 × 30 cm

mirror ball pieces, assorted plastic trash, marker, resin on wood

From a series of resin on wood pieces using mirror ball pieces donated by a friend. I was thinking about weaving, illusions, artefacts, and the many ways to capture light and movement within a structured surface. This one feels more like a textile, I think. I was wondering what makes something woven, and what makes something look woven.

2025

30 cm diameter

mirror ball pieces, plastic nurdles, watercolor, acrylic paint, resin on wood

From a series of resin on wood pieces using mirror ball pieces donated by a friend. I was thinking about weaving, illusions, artefacts, and the many ways to capture light and movement within a structured surface. This one feels both haphazard and orderly, and speaks about different ways to radiate.

2024

66 x 86 cm, framed

chocolate wrappers and birthday balloon on acrylic with painted frame

*reversible

somehow simplifying my exploration into the transparent picture plane: contained to one layer and 2(?) colors, if gold and silver are colors (?)

Showing 2 works from "Escuridão e Luz: A Febre Dourada", my 2 person exhibition with Ines Ferreira Norman at the Museu de Renda dos Bilros in Peniche, Portugal

Winter 2024

'Finding The Sun', left, and 'Portal II', right

2024

145 x 207 cm

plastic bags, birthday balloons, chocolate wrappers, aluminium tape, gold foil tape, scotch tape

*reversible

further investigation into layered transparent plastic trash paintings: checking to see if golden trash can evoke the same feelings as actual gold. haven't yet reached a conclusion.

"Escuridão e Luz: A Febre Dourada", at the Museu de Renda dos Bilros in Peniche, Winter 2024

Showing 4 works from "Escuridão e Luz: A Febre Dourada", my 2 person exhibition with Ines Ferreira Norman at the Museu de Renda dos Bilros in Peniche, Portugal

Winter 2024

From left to right:

'Finding The Sun', 'Portal II', 'Portal III', 'Portal IV'

2024

145 x 230 cm

plastic bags, plastic packaging, agricultural plastic, gourmet potato chip bags, rainbow shopping bag, aluminium tape, gold foil tape, scotch tape

*reversible

further investigation into layered transparent plastic trash paintings: checking to see if golden trash can evoke the same feelings as actual gold. haven't yet reached a conclusion.

"Escuridão e Luz: A Febre Dourada", at the Museu de Renda dos Bilros in Peniche, Winter 2024

Showing 2 works from "Escuridão e Luz: A Febre Dourada", my 2 person exhibition with Ines Ferreira Norman at the Museu de Renda dos Bilros in Peniche, Portugal

Winter 2024

'Portal IV', left, and 'Portal III', right

2023

70 × 100 cm (28 × 39 in)

aluminum foil, chocolate wrappers, ice cream wrappers, party decorations, yellow cellophoane, shopping bagm scotch tape on vegetable paper

2023

50cm diameter

plastic nurdles, watercolor and gesso on canvas

exploding energy, but soft, calm and contained. Maybe like on a molecular level what happens when we orgasm? The small bang, the private origin story.

2023

89 x 92 cm

plastic packaging, chocolate wrappers, yellow cellophane, leftover mylar, aluminum tape, scotch tape

My ‘painting’ from the PADA Residency 40 exhibition. A transformative and rapid journey into stretched transparent layers and the different perspectives this structure allows. Magical floating aspect made possible by amazing technical help at PADA Studios ✨⚠️✨

2023

165 x 92 cm

plastic packaging, chocolate wrappers, ice cream wrappers, yellow cellophane, aluminum tape, scotch tape

created at PADA Studios, August 2023

Temple VI (framed with caution in the glorious wasteland)

(Backside)

2023

228 x 143 cm

plastic packaging, plastic bags, yellow cellophane, mylar balloon, gourmet potato chip bags, caution tape, scotch tape, aluminum tape

Where it all started, stretching a trash tapestry into a painting, then taking it away from the wall. From the reverse you can see the brand of the potato chips, revealing the material as trash. Made during PADA Residency 40, August 2023

2023

228 x 143 cm

plastic packaging, plastic bags, yellow cellophane, mylar balloon, gourmet potato chip bags, caution tape, scotch tape, aluminum tape

Where it all started, stretching a trash tapestry into a painting, then taking it away from the wall. Made during PADA Residency 40, August 2023.

2022

100 x 75 cm

magazine clippings (including photos of melting glaciers,) plastic bags, reflective shopping bags, chocolate wrappers, scotch tape, acrylic medium

I set out to make a piece inspired by Navajo textiles, because I assumed they had some spiritual or ritual use in the culture. I was interested to learn that this was not the case, but this assumption was likely used by (non-native) traders to sell more product to tourists. The main takeaway from my research was while utilitarian in nature, Navajo textiles in their design and materials were a kind of mirror reflecting the weaver, her people, and their specific time and place in history.

This “weaving” is made with photos of melting glaciers from magazines, along with plastic bags, reflective shopping bags, chocolate wrappers and more magazine clippings of jewels and treasures, all taped together. Can you see the slightly surprised + sheepish face that seems to say, “don’t blame me, I didn’t cause this”?

2022

86 cm (34 in) diameter

plastic nurdles, microplastics, cut paper, magazine clippings, EcoPoxy resin on wood

Our Ancient Future…

The hierarchies of man will be submerged again in the mighty ocean, and we will remember how to revere nature and live within her cycles.

Coming Soon…

2022

53 cm (21 in) diameter

reclaimed wood, microplastics, magazine clippings, EcoPoxy resin

Ode to a newly endangered species, the monarch butterfly. Finding beauty in the breakdown and captured memories.

2022

137 x 100 cm

paper, plastic bags, plastic packaging, chocolate wrappers, scotch tape

I am fascinated by the original destruction myth, The Flood, in part because it’s starting to happen now, with climate change and sea level rise. The pyramid symbolizes man and his constant chasing of power and hoarding of wealth.

Collaboration with local surfboard shaper Manel Sousa of Live Stoked

2022

I always wanted to collage into a surfboard, especially with microplastics, but heard it wasn’t possible to do well until Manel invited me to try it. His attitude was super positive and keen on just going for it. ‘Bossa / Buried Treasure ’ is our first experiment with layering microplastics and cut paper into a board.

The Bossa shape gave me a sexy and fluid form as a base, and I was inspired by the color of the Polyola foam, which feels like sand and the 70‘s. Part of my collage process is collecting and sorting piles of pieces, and I dug into my library to find the ones that fit best.

The bottom layer is a bed of virgin plastic nurdles collected from the beach. Nurdles are the raw material used to make other plastic items. They get lost at sea and become trash before being used, which makes them highly valuable.

The top layer is paper cut from magazines, my method for possessing an infinite abundance of treasure. Here, jewels, marine life and seaweed forms are organized into the long rows of an undersea garden, encased in resin for the fossil record.

2021

50 x 101 cm

with grommets – can hang as a flag

plastic bag, mylar balloon, mylar stickers, marine microplastics, acrylic medium

2021

100 x 113 cm

with grommets - can hang as a flag

plastic bags, mylar balloon, scotch tape, gel medium

*doubled sided

2022

198 x 139 cm

confetti collected from the Pinhal de Ferrel, mylar birthday balloons, scotch tape on vegetable paper

I created ‘Circular’ as a symbol of the ideal Circular Economy. The form was born from the materials; I used what I had on hand and while thinking about the concept of circularity, the piece took shape. The materials were collected with and donated by friends, bringing ideas of community and support to the forefront. The materials were also originally used for celebration, which gives them a kind of joyful energy, but sadly they became trash after a single use. Bits of soil remain on the confetti pieces, showing traces of a potential future (luckily avoided) where the material was left to contaminate the earth.

‘Circular’ is a reminder that “trash” has no place in the Circular Economy and must be designed out of existence.

2015

101 x 143 cm, framed

wrapping paper, magazine clippings, acetate film, mylar, scotch tape, acrylic medium

2021

61 x 120 cm

with grommets - can hang like a flag

plastic bags, magazine clippings, plastic packaging, plastic nurdles, acrylic medium, caution tape

2020

62 x 94 cm

with grommets – can hang as a flag

plastic bag, chocolate wrappers, magazines, scotch tape, acrylic medium

*double sided

2020

49 x 75.5 cm

with grommets – can hang as a flag

plastic bags, magazine clippings, marine microplastics, chocolate wrappers, acrylic medium

*doubled sided