Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Neha Luhar-Trice. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Neha , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

For several years now, one of the most important foundations of my art practice has been the use of discarded paper acquired from day-to-day living, i.e.: junk mail, gift wrap, cereal boxes, and the like. I see a lot of potential in many of these throwaway items. Recently, through the help of the algorithm on Instagram, I came across an artist (Natalya Khorover) who also uses repurposed material in her work, although her focus was on plastic. Since Earth Month was coming up, Natasha put out a special challenge. Participating artists were to go plalking (definition: Take a walk outdoors and pick up trash) and construct a “flower of the day” based on Natasha’s prompts.

Armed with a small collection I’d already started at home, I signed up for the challenge and went on a journey of discovery through each day’s exercise. It is alarming in our disposable culture just how many of the items we consume are wrapped or packaged in non-recyclable material. Every night I’d look at the “art supplies” I had to work with for the day and, at first, found myself rather frustrated. But then I started challenging myself by experimenting with heat, adhesives I’d never tried before, a stapler, and even needle and thread. Eventually I reached the end of the month and was surprised that not only had I completed 30 days of prompts, but that my “let’s just try and see what happens” approach resulted in some desirable results. Everything I made was glued onto cardboard from the recycling bin and (**bonus**) I saved a good many plastic items from polluting the soil in my neighborhood. It’s important to me that my work brings awareness to that which we do not always have time to notice in our busy lives. Be it a red solo cup dangling from a tree branch or a colorful candy wrapper blowing around in the gutter, we have the power to wake up from auto-pilot status, notice the world around us, and consider how we may take better care of the planet. I’m looking forward to incorporating more plastics and paper into my work and hope we can take more companies to task for their unethical practices and irreverence for future generations.

Neha , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Neha Luhar-Trice, but at markets I go by the shorter version “Neha Luhar Art” (formerly known as Fotofourteen)! For years people struggled with my choice to use my name to identify my business, but one day I realized that I am quite proud of my work and I love signing my name – so what was the big holdup!? Also, I was simply tired of correcting the pronunciation of my name after years in grade school. I now provide a pronunciation guide: first you “Neighhh like a horse”, then laugh at how silly it is “ha”! There you have it, everyone’s favorite 4-letter word. Ha!

I earned a degree in Photography/Film/Electronic Media from the University of Illinois at Chicago back in 1999. After about 14 years working in the field, I started coming to terms with the fact that I wanted more than to document people on the street, shoot products for websites, or produce landscapes. I had secret desires – so secret that I hauled two boxes of paper to various apartments over the years, adamant that I would use it all in my work someday. Eventually my someday came, and I’ve never looked back. I began my collage journey participating in mail swaps among like-minded artists I met in Facebook groups. I made more postcards and artist trading cards than I can count. Participating in these groups and other monthly challenges such as the 100DaysProject, Februllage, and Inktober gave me the creative community support I needed to make my collage desires a reality. Another distinctive element of my work is my use of color. I love color! I took color theory in college and loved mixing my own hues, whether it be in acrylic or watercolor. I love playing with the contrasts and vibrations that occur with certain color combinations. I consider my work to be approachable, containing a certain amount of whimsy and playfulness. I offer original collages for sale as well as more economical prints of some of my patrons’ favorites. I regularly update my Instagram account with recent works. To me, life is an experiment; what is life without play? If my work can make you smile or feel comforted when you recognize a color of paper I used from a Jiffy Peanut Butter label then it’s a great success for me. It is important to me to share the things I observe in our lives with others; a piece of my heart goes into every work of art I create.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to embark on a creative journey that champions sustainability by utilizing recycled materials and everyday discards, fostering a less wasteful ethos in our throwaway society. Through my work, I aim to inject a burst of cheerful color into a predominantly screen-driven world, promoting joy, creativity and environmental consciousness.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

It’s very difficult trying to explain this struggle to a non-creative, especially to someone who might tell artists to “get a real job,” if you will. This same individual might happily attend a movie theater or visit their local museum for a change of scene ….and yet still not make the connection that without artists they would have none of these things to delight and amaze or entertain them. Art takes time and access to facilities. Equally important, funding is crucial for creatives to flourish and add value to their communities.

Being an artist requires a restless nature of creativity, curiosity, and problem creation/solving. Ideas can keep one awake until they are expressed and there is a deep-seated need to share one’s creation with others. Some call it a compulsion, some a calling. It is highly unfair to ask an individual to suppress this calling simply because it does not fit into cultural norms and capitalist models of success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nehaluharart.com
• Instagram: @nehaluharart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nehaluharart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neha-luhar-trice-7292627/
• Other: Member of https://www.indianamericanartists.org

Image Credits
All images are mine.