February 2021 Featured Artist - Allie Push of Allie Push Arts

Allie Push is a local Rochester artist with a love for creative play, interesting design, quality craft, and sustainability. Each of her journals are crafted from repurposed cardboard, 100% recycled paper, and unique collages made of found paper. The collages on the covers of each book range in subject matter from old maps to animals to interesting and thought provoking designs. Each journal is blank inside and hand bound using the traditional coptic stitch or a Japanese stab stitch. Her books are perfect for any artists, writer, journal keeper or traveler.

She started making art in middle school when she was inspired to take private art lessons when he saw how much fun her sister was having in class and decided she wanted to join in. She went on to get my BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Delaware where she focused on making large abstract oil paintings based on what she saw in nature, images of celestial bodies, and Taoist and Buddhist philosophy of interconnectivity. Although this was her main jam at the time, she also dabbled in photography and printmaking.

Allie first learned the coptic stitch when preparing for a photography based study abroad trip to Vietnam. The class made books of watercolor paper to hold the products of emulsion lifts and other alternative process photography that they would learn on the journey. After learning this process, Allie was instantly pumped to make sketchbooks and journals for herself and for friends.

With care for the planet being a growing concern, Allie knew it was time for her art to have a low impact on the Earth and its resources. As she looked around she found it was easy to come up with materials for journals that were repurposed, upcycled, or recycled. Each journal cover is made from reclaimed cardboard and all cover design materials are found, salvaged, thrifted or donated. The internal pages are currently the only newly bought material you'll find in the books: they are 100% recycled, acid free, and FSC certified paper. To reinforce her commitment to sustainability and a healthy planet, Allie donates 5% of sales each quarter to various non-profits that are working to protect wild places and combat climate change. During this quarter (January through March), 5% of sales will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund.