Arts & Entertainment
Recyclable Artwork on Display at the Township Library
A River Vale artist uses throw-away material to create painted sculptures
Despite her initial focus in economics, Herrat Sommerhoff took her friend’s advice and enrolled in drawing and painting classes at Bergen Community College more than 20 years ago.
Shortly after, her friend challenged Sommerhoff at a ski lodge in the Catskills.
“Somebody asked me what I could do with milk cartons,” she said. “They were joking around but it made me think.”
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Sommerhoff said she welcomed this challenge, and worked out a pattern for the cartons on graph paper and began painting them.
“I liked the shape of the milk cartons. They were like little building blocks, so I played around with them,” she said.
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Sommerhoff created a sculpture of four milk carton panels with 100 cartons on each, and named the piece “400 Milk Cartons Tumbling Down the Walls.” Unfortunately, the display only had room for three of the panels.
“It was thrilling to see the reactions of the spectators. They would be smiling and children would be counting the milk cartons, but the children were complaining that I had miscalculated them,” she said. “I’m very amused by how they reacted.”
Sommerhoff takes pride in her work opening the minds of children to the different uses of what she calls “throw-aways.”
“I believe my display will inspire young people, because I’ve seen it, to attempt to do something like that themselves, and to see what you can do with throw aways,” she said. “Before you throw something away look at it and could you use it? You can really do something with everything you see.”
Sommerhoff’s sculptured paintings and collages are on display through the end of September at the .
Come see various recycled materials painted in bright colors, including small milk cartons, cafeteria trays, fast food drink trays, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, Styrofoam packing pieces, egg cartons, wine bottle packing material, apple-packing material, tennis balls and sisal carpeting.
The township library, 144 Woodfield Road, is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
