Drinking tea and talking trash

There will be plenty of trash talk at the Thursday, April 17, Coastal Arts Guild Tea and Talk, when Rena Ekmanis discusses her mosaics made from plastic marine debris.

Ekmanis will display her mosaics and talk about the rare and endangered ocean animals that are her favorite subjects to study and paint.

A multidisciplinary artist and science illustrator, Ekmanis finds inspiration in the magic, beauty and mysteries of nature. The ocean is the place that fills her with the most awe and wonder. Having lived many years on the Big Island of Hawaii she spent as much time as possible underwater.

After moving to Newport a few years ago, she started collecting plastic and microplastic while beachcombing. Making ocean plastic mosaics has become a new and fun art adventure to help raise awareness about the difficult dilemma of plastic in our beautiful oceans. She loves creating with a variety of materials including watercolors, acrylics, clay and plastic marine debris. Her wish is that her art brings peace and a growing desire to protect the wonders of this beautiful planet.

The Tea and Talk begins at 2 pm on the second floor of the Newport Visual Arts Center, located at 777 NW Beach Drive. For more information, go to coastarts.org.