Eco-Art Comes to Wayland's Viva Mexican Grill

An effort that began many months ago is continuing to take shape for Fireseed, a founded by Dan Balther and Peter Vazquez.

On Thursday, Jan. 19, welcomed guests to an artists' reception and showcase of the new artwork that now brings color and movement to the restaurant's walls.

As hungry patrons enjoyed their meal Thursday night, members of the business community and supporters of the arts mingled in the Viva dining room, admiring the art and, later in the night, enjoying live music. Vazquez plays in the band Los Sugar Kings.

Paintings by Balter and fellow eco-artist Jason Parris Fitz-Gerald adorn the walls, while lightboxes created by Vazquez glow in the restaurant's entry. Each project looks, from a distance, to be a quality piece of artwork created by traditional means, but closer examination (or perhaps a conversation with the artists) reveals that each piece is created from recycled or repurposed "trash."

Balter enjoys painting on cardboard boxes, Fitz-Gerald burns his images into pieces of scrap plywood and Vazquez uses everything from teabags to plastic bags as the shades for his lightboxes.

Getting this "trashy" art into businesses in Wayland is another step in Fireseed's goal of connecting artists with materials and art-lovers with eco-art.

"We want to get it in everywhere," said Vazquez during the reception. What that will ultimately look like, he said they aren't yet sure. "We're not putting too many expectations out there, but we're watching the pieces fall in place naturally."

Balter agreed, calling Fireseed's work in Wayland "an experiment." In the fall, Fireseed at the . The idea is to help people understand where their waste ends up and to maybe even give them some ideas for reusing what they might otherwise discard.

"Fireseed is about making connections, bringing local artists and art lovers together, building a better community around the arts and environment," Balter said after the reception. "The night was alive with conversation, art and music.  Very memorable."

Vazquez said the plan is to rotate the art displayed at Viva about every three to six months.

For more information about Fireseed, check out the website at www.fireseedarts.com. Questions can be directed to info@fireseedarts.com.