I came across this artist Boey a while ago. I loved the idea of art on Styrofoam cups, partly that they made a usually discarded item valued and beautiful, and partly for the moral, ecological dilemma they presented.

Art = Good
Styrofoam cups = Bad

If I buy art that is on a Styrofoam cup, I am preventing it from becoming part of the increasing landfill. But eventually I will die and it will become part of the landfill any way… or will it live on forever reminding our future selves of the folly of non-recyclable containers. Or is the fact that the art is on a Styrofoam cup highlighting the ecological issues? What happens to the cups that go wrong? But then perhaps I over-think things…

Anyway, I saw his stuff again recently and I was reminded how much I like it. He does things in a variety of styles from Japanese hokusai, to realist, to his own random doodling style. But the cups are only part of what he does, if you check out his blog there is a whole other level of random fun to get involved with. In the same ilk as xkcd, it is an endless source of entertainment. Mixing the banal and the incredible and commenting on the idiosyncratic nature of everyday life. You can spend far too much time flicking through his journal and giggling to yourself, to get anything of any substance done.

So I figured with everyone needing to banish their January blues, I would share some of my favourites with you…

You can find all of Boey’s cups and blog based fun on his website, where you can also purchase a ethically confusing artwork for yourself.