Finn Teach
Plastic Collages from the Azores
Unique 3D art, made with salvaged and repurposed materials
All collages listed here are for sale. Contact me directly or visit them in person at Artéria in Ponta Delgada.
Finding My Way
Beach plastic on wood panels
(2) 12" x 12"
€260.00
A collage about making the best from a what appears at first to be a shitty situation. For example, finding plastic trash on a beautiful black sand beach on a pristine island. Then making a nice collage out of the plastic. Or fleeing one's country, and finding home in a new place.
Collages of Plastic from São Miguel
My collages are made from beach litter (mainly plastic) collected on the island of São Miguel. My interest in using plastic as a collage material started almost as soon as I moved to the island from the United States of America in the spring of 2026. I was involved in a beach cleanup, and began noticing how much plastic was present, despite so many efforts from locals to keep the beaches clean. I began collecting the plastic on my own, disposing of most of it, but keeping interesting bits for artwork. Originally an oil painter, I quickly developed a passion for creating these collages using the interesting colors, textures and shapes of the plastic, all worn down and shaped by wind, water and sun.
The Next Right Thing
Beach plastic on wood panels
(2) 8" x 12" €180.00
A meditation on how moving forward in the face of uncertainty and change. The technique of "doing the next right thing" is essential in my personal life, but also when doing collage. I never know what the collage will look like when finished. I simply apply the next right piece of plastic, trusting it will come together somehow.
Each of the collages represents something personal to me, as story from the time in my life it was created. It also represents the removal of waste from the beaches of São Miguel. Usually for every piece of plastic I use in my collage, I remove two more pieces that I simply dispose of. Collectors of this work can feel good about repurposing discarded waste that has real beauty but does not belong on our beaches.
About the Materials and Craftsmanship
The collages contain plastic that has been cleaned and glued to a wood surface. The sides and back of the surface have been painted and sealed to prevent additional moisture absorption due to humidity. Some natural warping of the wood may still occur over time.
Several of the collages are diptychs, meaning they were created as a pair, designed to stand alone and in concert with each other. The diptychs represent two ideas/stories that are intertwined.
Trusting the Current
Beach plastic on wood panels
(2) 9" x 12" €180.00
This collage is about letting the tide, waves and beach debris guide my art. It's about going with the flow, not fighting the direction that life pushes me. It's about living one day at a time, using what comes for the my personal growth.
Finding My Place
Beach Litter on wood panel
30cm x 80cm €280.00
This collage is about trust. It was the first big collage I allowed myself to make, not knowing if larger plastic debris would even work. I just knew I had to make it. As part of my learning to live in a new place, it's important to go beyond my comfort zone, and in the process finding my place and finding new parts of myself I didn't know were there.
Surrender
Beach plastic on wood panel
9" x 12" €100.00
This collage is about giving myself completely to what is, and not fighting reality. Sometimes the only way out is to accept completely my powerlessness, and only THEN do I see my choices.
Crushing
Beach plastic on wood panel
12" x 12" €100.00
This collage is about finding love again, letting myself feel the gooey crushy things for someone even though it makes no sense. It makes for good art and good living.
Getting Too Close
Beach plastic on wood panels
(2) 9" x 12" €200.00
This collage is about the strange dance that happens in new relationships, when I am finding out how much to reveal and risk, how fast to move. The two panels represent two sides of a new relationship. One coming in too hot, the other responding with coolness, and the two learning what the other needs.
Mesmorized
Beach plastic on wood round
12" Diameter €100.00
This collage is about those big feelings I get in a new place, or in a new relationship. Completely in awe, unable to look away, unable to comprehend.
Stay A While
Beach Litter on wood panel
30cm x 80cm €280.00
This is my biggest collage. I used smaller and larger plastics here. This represents a more comfortable feeling with my materials, with my new home on São Miguel. I wanted to create a piece where the viewer could come back again and again, staying there a while and seeing many new things without tiring.
About the Artist
I am an American living in Portugal since April April 2026.
I attended Colby College and graduated in 2007 with degrees in Sociology and Art, with a concentration in oil painting. My work has appeared in galleries in Maine and New York, and now in Ponta Delgada.
Download my full resume here.
