Hopkins Man Transforms Recyclable Materials into Art

Newsprint. Leaves. Pencil shavings. Onionskin. Tree seeds. Potato peels.

To some people, these are trash. To Hopkins artist Raju Lamichhane, these are the media he uses to create unique portraits and still lifes. By taking materials and giving them a permanent home in the world of art, he’s created a new approach to recycling.

Lamichhane, a native of Nepal, meticulously tears the newsprint or other material into the shapes he is looking for with his fingers—using only scissors or instruments like a utility knife when he needs a very straight line. The final subjects vary from flowers in a vase to fruit and vegetables to animals.

“I like watching birds so I have recently being doing a lot of bird portraits,” he said.

Lamichhane got the idea of using recyclable materials in his work about three years ago.

 “I noticed all of the different colors and imagined creating a work of art using it instead of traditional paints,” he said. “Much of the way I do my art comes from things I saw when we lived back in Nepal.”

Lamichhane and his wife, Punya, came to the United States in 2005 after they won a U.S. entry lottery in Nepal. Villagers there often recycle materials to create personal items, especially things like jewelry. The Lamichhanes have three children who are 13, nine and one year old. Punya, herself, is very artistic and often assists her husband in his efforts.

Raju Lamichhane is not a full-time artist. He works full time is as the warehouse manager for Hopkins-based

“I find (the art) a very nice way to relax after my regular job,” he said.

But he is quickly building a following of art lovers who appreciate his unique talent and the material he uses. His business, Do Green Art, has broadened out to include greeting cars as well as his original works. Lamichhane is a regular at local street fairs—including , the and the .

The Lamichhane family is constantly on the lookout for new media to use. He taught his two older children to use lawn grass to create items such as bracelets. He recently took the helicopter-like seeds from Maple trees and fashioned them into a work featuring two dragonflies. And he is even experimenting with products like plastic milk cartons as a way to create art.

“There are many, many possibilities,” he said 

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Lamichhane’s works are primarily available though his website, where information on ordering prints and cards is available as well as a list of art shows and festivals where he appears throughout the year.