Dust art is a type of art in which the medium of expression is simply common dust. Dust art can be made with household dust, outdoor dust, or any other form of malleable detritus. The images can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional, and they can be representational or abstract.
Fingers, brushes, and any pointed instrument capable of creating shapes and lines are used to create two-dimensional dust art. Scraping dust away to reveal the surface beneath can be used to shade. Applying different amounts of pressure to different areas of dust can also help to create a variety of dark and light tones.
Scott Wade, a dust artist from Texas, claims that a finished work takes him one to four hours to complete. One of his favorite surfaces is dirty windshields. Wade’s talent has allowed him to create dusty, detailed replicas of famous paintings like Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
The 2-D dust art will often begin to change based on the surrounding conditions after it has been completed, and it can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Wind and rain will eventually wash away outdoor works of dust art. Only photography ensures the longevity of this type of art.
Other artists create delicate sculptures out of clumps of dust. Dust was transformed into tiny representations of objects such as human figures, skulls, and insects British artist Paul Hazelton. Dust, according to Hazelton, also serves a metaphorical function, implying death and decay. Some of these pieces are only a few centimeters long and tall, while others are tall enough to reach a high ceiling.
Hazelton dampens the dust to keep it together, then carefully dries the piece after the sculpting is completed. Dust is also used the artist in his multimedia works, giving two-dimensional images a unique nubtexture. He’s made wispy, three-dimensional objects out of dust bunnies, arachnid corpses, and trash collected on furniture and window sills.
Because dust art is made up of found materials, it differs from more commonly seen sidewalk art. Colored chalk or pastels, both traditional drawing tools, are commonly used sidewalk artists. Some art stores even sell chalk designed specifically for use on the pavement. Sidewalk art is frowned upon in cities like New York, which often dismisses it as a form of graffiti. Sidewalk art, like most dust art, is only seen in memory and photographs after it fades away.