Look in your trash can. Remember crumpling up those two rough drafts and tossing them into the garbage? Think about how much paper you throw away every day. Imagine that instead of ending up in a landfill, this paper would be turned into art.

James Thurman, assistant professor of art and associate to the director of the School of Visual Arts, has turned someone else's trash into treasure. His exhibit, titled Tectonic Plates, is on display in the first floor exhibit case at the HUB-Robeson Center until Feb. 9.

"I have put up many exhibits," Ann Shields, senior gallery manager, said. "I think this one is very unique because the artist uses an interesting technique. He cuts paper out of books to make interesting designs. I've never seen anyone do that before and thought students would be interested in [Thurman's] work."

Every day while Thurman walked his dog, he passed boxes of old books that one of his neighbors would throw away. One day, Thurman decided he could use those books to serve a purpose instead of just letting them go to waste.

"I had been brainstorming for a while about what I could do with these books," Thurman said. "About a year ago, I began to figure out what would work."

After designing awards for a conference with a colleague, Thurman began to perfect his technique.

"My art is made out of layers of paper glued together with a clear glue," Thurman said. "Once it is dry, it is as hard as a block of wood, and I can begin to shape it in any way I like. I work with the hardened paper in the same way I would work with a piece of lumber."

Thurman gets his supplies from several different places.

"The materials I use tend to vary, but most of the paper I use is recycled," Thurman said. "The Maps Library [in Paterno Library] gives me old maps that I like to use because they are more colorful. I also use used books. At first, I made functional items such as candlesticks and lamps with this technique, but now I have more complex designs."

Thurman's work is very versatile.

"My pieces vary in texture and weight," he said. "One might be very heavy, while another might be lighter. It is nice to actually pick them up and handle them. They are actually very durable. I usually work on several different designs at a time. It takes me about 10 hours to finish a piece."

After examining Thurman's art, one may wonder why the designs are entitled Tectonic Plates.

"Tectonic plates are rigid plates on the Earth's surface," said Eric Kirby, a professor in the Earth Science Department. "The Earth has different layers. The crust ... is broken up into boundaries called plates. These plates are either moving away from each other or toward each other on the earth's surface."

The concept of rock layers is central to Thurman's designs.

"The title of the exhibit was a play on words," Thurman said.

"Tectonic plates cause mountain ridges and other landforms. As I cut through the layers of maps, they remind me of excavated landscapes."