Who needs regular old art supplies when you can just cut up money to make your collages! Yep, American artist Mark Wagner has been slicing and dicing American currency for years. My favorite series is titled “Washington at Large”. Why? Well according to Mark, “It’s only natural that Washington’s “Head of State” should grow a body and start walking around and doing stuff.” I absolutely agree. Also, I really love that George is out there mowing all that green {see what I did there?}. Here is more about Mark and his reasons for cutting up thousands of dollars every year:

Mark Wagner is best known for his intricate collages made entirely from deconstructed US dollars. Wagner destroys thousands of bills yearly to create works which pointedly and playfully explore the intersection of wealth, power, value, and American identity. Wagner’s audacious (and unlawful) destruction of this revered icon of American commerce is checked only by his virtuoso material manipulation, which renders what you will… portraits, plant life, fantastical beasts, or allegorical scenes recasting George Washington in every roll.

Wagner’s artwork is an entry point to a conversation extending far beyond the art world. Decades dedicated to destroying banknotes has provided Wagner with a unique perspective on the nature of money. Modern man’s obsession with finance and our wistful attempts to tame it through economics belies money’s emotional, mercurial… even fictional nature. Wagner addresses these issues in writing, lecture, and interview as eloquently as he does through his artwork.