“My practice is built around recycling wood, together with a belief that nothing and no one is without value” – Di Deppeler

Di Deppeler resides in rural East Gippsland, Victoria.  A well-known painter and art teacher, Di enjoys employing her artistic talents to create quirky ‘up-cycled’ furniture and 3D artworks from discarded objects (95% recycled wood) and acrylic paint.  Hard rubbish collections, Rubbish Tips, 2nd hand shops and Opp Shops are prime hunting grounds for Di, along with her ‘stash’ of discarded wood items gifted by neighbours and friends.

Concerned with the way our society discards wooden objects that have been created from forests; Di prefers to save what she can and create something that retains marks of age and where possible, elements of the original identity of the wood. “I am not a traditional worker in wood. I don’t restore the wood to as new status, preferring to allow the wood to define the finished piece, using the contrast between the different conditions of the timber”.