Sustainable Canvas

31 July

Lately, I’ve had many people ask about the unique canvas that I use with my collage and abstract alcohol ink artworks!

Sustainable Canvas and Yupo paper inked sheets

Me with Grounded Tides created on Sustainable canvas

So let’s take a deeper dive into what exactly is Sustainable Canvas, the story behind it and why did I choose to switch to it?

Over time, I have become more mindful of the environmental impact from the materials I use in my art. As artists, we often talk about the stories held within our work, but I also think that the materials we choose become part of that story too.

This is what first drew me to Sustainable Canvas. Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, the canvas offers not only a more environmentally conscious option, but also a surface that responds beautifully to the movement and flow of alcohol inks.

I love how durable and versatile the canvas feels within my process. The inks settle differently, textures become more pronounced and the surface itself feels strong and reliable to work on. Knowing the material is helping keep plastic out of landfill adds another layer of meaning to my finished pieces.

To learn more about how Sustainable Canvas began, the idea behind it and what goes into creating a more sustainable alternative for artists, I'm excited to introduce the incredible founder, Alanah!

A huge thank you to Alanah for taking the time to answer some questions and share her story. I’m genuinely excited to not only learn more about this innovative product, but also to support a thoughtful Australian woman-run business doing incredible things within the art space and for the planet.

Alanah Jarvis Founder Sustainable Canvas

Q&A with Alanah

What is a Sustainable Canvas?

A Sustainable Canvas is exactly what it sounds like, a painting canvas made without the environmental cost of a traditional one. Sustainable Canvas is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and primed here in Melbourne, so plastic that would have ended up in landfill becomes a strong, high-quality surface you can paint on. It looks and behaves like a premium canvas. It just happens to have had a whole life before it reached your easel.

What inspired you to create Sustainable Canvas?

I'm a working artist, a Mum of three and both of those things led me here. As an artist, I care deeply about the materials I put my name to, they become part of the story of every piece. As a mother, I think a lot about the world my children are growing up in. Over time I couldn't ignore how much waste sits behind the art we make and how few genuine alternatives existed for people who wanted to make a more thoughtful choice, without giving up on quality. I couldn't find the product I wanted to use, so I set out to make it. After two years of engineering and redesigning, we now have the world’s first canvas made from recycled plastic bottles available on the roll and in book form. Painting with my kids in their Canvas Books is the epitome of bringing Sustainable Canvas to life, it’s really the cherry on top of all the work!

Was there a particular moment where you realised the art industry needed a more sustainable alternative?

I don’t have any content around the amount of plastic waste I used to take to the landfill bin after cleaning out my art room, I was genuinely embarrassed, from paint tubes and their lids, the plastic that covered canvas, the packaging, there was a lot. There wasn't a single lightning bolt so much as a slow build. I was seeing hammocks and other products being made from recycled plastic, so I knew there was some way to bring this into the art industry, and the answer was literally sitting under my nose, on the easel…the canvas.
Once I started paying attention, I couldn't stop seeing it, beautiful creative work being made on materials that were costly to the planet. It felt like something the industry had simply accepted, and I didn't want to keep accepting it.

How is Sustainable Canvas made and what makes it different from traditional canvas?

The surface is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, which are washed, transformed into a fabric, thread into a canvas and then primed in Melbourne ready to paint on. A traditional canvas is usually cotton or linen and most with virgin polyester added for long term stability, ours takes material that already existed and gives it a second life. What surprises a lot of artists is that being more sustainable hasn't meant compromising on the work, the surface is strong, consistent and holds up to layering, texture and different mediums. Many people tell me inks and paints sit and move on it in ways they love.

What challenges did you face creating a more sustainable canvas surface for artists?

The biggest challenge was perception. Polyester has long carried a reputation in the art world as the cheap option, the poor cousin to natural fibres like cotton and linen, which most artists have traditionally reached for. So, part of my job has been helping people look again. Polyester is the stronger, more durable fibre and when it's recycled it does far good for the planet than a virgin natural fibre does. I've found that once artists understand that they're choosing a surface that's tougher and keeps plastic out of landfill, the old assumptions start to fall away. “I love knowing I am painting on a surface that does good for our planet” is a direct quote from a Sustainable Artist who uses Sustainable Canvas.
I use these canvases in my own practice, so I was never going to release something I wouldn't happily paint on myself.

What impact do you hope Sustainable Canvas has on both artists and the wider environment?

For artists, I hope it makes the sustainable choice the easy one, that you can pick up a canvas you feel good about and simply get on with creating. For the environment, every square metre of canvas keeps 37 plastic bottles out of landfill or the environment and if enough of us make that small switch it genuinely adds up. My deeper hope is a shift in mindset: that the materials we choose become part of the meaning of the work and that more of the creative industry starts asking what its products are really made from.

What's next for Sustainable Canvas?

We're focused on building a trusted creative brand, not just canvases, but a growing range of high-quality products made from recycled materials, plus the resources and education to help people create more thoughtfully. Right now, I love seeing artists use the canvases in their own workshops or teaching or doing collaborations like this incredible one are exactly where I want the brand to grow. Mostly, I want Sustainable Canvas to keep proving that you never have to choose between making beautiful work and caring about the world you're making it in.