每天早上我都會泡茶，而通常是英國早餐茶，還會連續用兩個茶包。濃郁口味的紅茶，應該沒有人不喜歡，應該不會有人討厭吧？討厭的只是泡完的茶葉包，已經無可利用，通常都是用手一擰乾，隨手就扔進垃圾筒去。不過精華都被泡乾淨了，扔掉不算浪費，不可惜吧？ 有人卻不這麼以為，用水彩在茶包上作畫，畫日落的海邊、絢爛的夏花、酣睡的男孩，又或者是一隻雄偉的公雞；在茶包去無存菁後，又被賦予上新的意義，化作為閃爍著意識流的畫框。
I drink tea everyday, usually English breakfast tea with two teabags. Most people appreciate the richness of black tea, is there anyone who doesn’t? Most of the time the teabag gets wringed for the last drop, and goes straight into the bin after it’s served its purpose. That shouldn’t seem wasteful should it? Someone doesn’t seem to think so though. From a sunset by the beach, blooming summer blossoms, a napping boy, to a mighty rooster, she reclaims new purpose to used teabags through watercolor paintings.
Ruby Silvious是來自紐約的藝術家，擅長以水彩作畫的她，最有名的是一系列以茶包為媒介的微型畫作。經沖泡後的茶包，暈染著不均勻的茶迹 ，一般人看來骯髒又邋遢，但是在Silvious的利用下卻成為最好的畫紙，讓她在異地旅遊時把眼前掠過的風景，心裡劃過的感受，畫在每天早晨沖泡後的茶包上，使風景與被茶渲染後的「畫布」融合，帶來一幀幀引來鄉愁的風景。
Ruby Silvious is an artist from New York with expertise in watercolour paintings. She is recognised for her miniature watercolour paintings on used teabags. An ordinary used teabag may seem messy and dirty to you and me. Yet, the uneven tint and stains become the perfect medium for Silvious. She captures her travels, experiences, and feelings, on used teabags from each morning. Each stained canvas adds a layer of nostalgia to every setting, evoking a longing sense of memories.
最近Silvious以她自我隔離十四天的時間，創作名為「Covid Blue」的系列，作品以她屋內尋獲的物資加以創作，當中自然少不了茶包的部分。看點題作＜Emergency Preparedness＞，以漸層演變的藍色作底，上頭畫一個戴著眼鏡的可愛女性，應該就是Silvious本人吧？看著女生嫻靜地把茶包的線頭，抽出一整卷衛生紙的情境，荒謬中帶著幽默和可愛感；而看來這份「藍色」不僅不憂鬱，還略帶一點的泰然，以及一點的希望。
During her 14 days of quarantine, Silvious created the “Covid Blue” series, using found objects and salvaged materials from her own home – that is, of course including used teabags. The focal piece Emergency Preparedness features an adorable girl with glasses under a blue backdrop, could that be her? The girl serenely takes out a toilet roll from the string of the teabag, bizarre but comically endearing at the same time. It does seem that “blue” doesn’t necessarily portray sadness, but a bit of hope and amusement.
