Ash generated by UK power stations sparked a ‘lightbulb moment’ for a talented Sutton Coldfield artist – after she was commissioned by a pioneering company based in the Royal Town.
Polish-born Izabela ‘Venuso’ Okonska, who works out of a studio in Wylde Green, arrived in the UK in 2011 and has since built a reputation as one of the region’s most gifted portrait artists – with clients including Sutton MP Andrew Mitchell.
But when she was commissioned to create artworks for Sutton firm Power Minerals Ltd (PML) – who find sustainable uses for the by- products of the power sector – she had a flash of inspiration and swapped paint for ash.
After a meeting with PML managing director Nigel Waldron, Izabela produced was two abstract paintings that now hang proudly in the firm’s HQ, at Wren’s Court in the town centre.
“Before the meeting, I had intended to paint Nigel and his family, but instead I left with the intention of producing two abstract paintings using his company’s product, Fly Ash,” Izabela said.
“I had never heard of Fly Ash, but as we chatted I noticed different tubes of some sort of grey substance in the cabinet behind Nigel, and I just had to ask more about it.
“Nigel explained that this product was Fly Ash - which is a product of burning coal to generate power.
“That’s when I had my lightbulb moment – and we decided to create art using the ash.”
The works were was commissioned to mark the 10th anniversary of PML being taken over by their German owners, STEAG.
Izabela believes this is the first time ash has been used to create art in this way.
The artist mixed the ash with a gel, as well as using gold leaf and resins to produce a glass-like finish for the artworks. The two pieces represent the cycle of coal use - from mining to ash – and the capital that can be gained from reusing it as a by-product; both financial and ecological.
PML supply millions of tons of ash each year, directing it from the UK’s power stations to be used in the construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. The company recently played a part in the early completion of the UK’s biggest road scheme – the A14 – providing 10,000 tons of ash to be used in concrete along the massive project.
Nigel Waldron said: “PML is all about pioneering ways of re-using ash and other by products from power generation, so when Izabela suggested she use it in her artwork it seemed the perfect fit.
“We are proud to be a Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield company, and try to support talent within the local community. When we heard about Izabela, we thought it would be a great to commission her to produce work that celebrated what we do.
“We are very happy with the artwork she has produced. We already knew that ash can be used to make everything from motorway bridges to rooftiles – thanks to Izabela’s work, we’ve shown it can be used to generate stunning artwork too!”
