It was during a family vacation to Prince Edward Island last summer when a heron caught Vera Darius’ eye — and imagination.
The gallery piece was unusual as it was made out of wire, Paverpol (a textile hardener) and cotton t-shirts.
Back home in Coquitlam, Darius thought she would give the craft a go and researched artists’ DIY guides online.
She liked that it used recycled products and the finished pieces could go inside or out, depending on the materials.
Since then, Darius has made about a dozen works, from mermaids and elves to female figurines and, of course, herons. Now, she has a bird creation in her backyard pond as a deterrent to herons nipping at her fish and a torch lady on her patio holding a citronella candle to keep the bugs away.
“I love them because they’re both decorative and functional,” she said during a tour of her house last week, “and I especially love them because they’re ‘green’ art.”
Darius spends about 10 hours on each item: shaping the wires to create a frame, infilling with tin foil and draping it with Paverpol-soaked t-shirts donated by her husband (the t-shirts must be 100% cotton and with no writing).
After it hardens, Darius paints and clear coats them.
While she has had no formal training in Paverpol pieces, Darius has a varied background in the fine arts. She studied painting and decorating at BCIT, does freelance voice-over work, plays the guitar and, for a decade, was part of the Sweet Adelines, a competitive women’s barbershop harmony ensemble.
Being semi-retired, she wants to spend more time pursuing her passions and hopes to find a market for her Paverpol creations.
Last Saturday, she launched her first sale for her Facebook friends. “I want to see what kind of interest is out there,” Darius said, “because I know that eco-art is becoming more and more popular.”
• For more information on Vera Darius’ art, email [email protected].
