Recycled metal can be shaped into bold, beautiful things.

Jenny Fillius discovered those colorful and expressive possibilities with her latest medium of choice.

“It is here with metal that I have felt most at home,” said the longtime Seattle artist. “It’s fun to take scratched, beat up things and transform them into something different than what they were originally intended for.”

Fillius’ recycled creations stand out in local and regional art shows. Her recycled metals and tin toy assemblage entitled, Butterfly in My Cup, wowed the judges and wooed the public at the fourth annual Small Works, Big Presents: The Gift of Art juried exhibition and sale in Auburn.

Fillius’ entry – one of 185 pieces of art submitted by 51 artists – received the People’s Choice Award at the exhibit, which continues through Dec. 18 at the White River Valley Museum.

Visitors’ votes determine the winner of the award. Fillius earned a $400 prize, and her winning artwork will be featured in next year’s Small Works exhibit poster and invitation postcard.

Puyallup’s Sue Jackson-Andre was runner-up.

Fillius has explored a multitude of media in her career as an active painter and solo and group show participant in the Puget Sound arts community. She has shown and sold many of her works in fiber arts, painting, assemblage and now, tin.

Recycled sheet metal allows Fillius to imagine and produce a myriad of things. Her creations are striking, humorous and deal with real issues, such as insincerity, misjudging, unspoken conflicts and uncontrollable tragedies.

“By re-purposing used metal food containers, gleaned from many sources; deconstructing them to be reconfigured into something other than their original form or intent, it becomes artwork as a still life or a narrative piece,” she explained.

“I deconstruct the containers, hammer them flat, cut them up and nail them down,” she continued. “The metal has had its life, served its purpose and now with its scratches, dents and unknown history, it is re-invented.”

Fillius says her work with recycled tin begins with an idea and then evolves. The materials are accessible, inexpensive and easy to work with, she says.

“The work I create comes from my imagination. Anything can trigger an idea, an overheard expression, a story, something I see on the street; literally anything,” she said. “These ideas get sketched out and eventually end up as artwork.”

“(Recycled tin artwork) stands out next to others,” Fellius said. “It’s eye-catching.”

When she isn’t creating art, Fillius drives a 27-foot-long, 24-passenger bus for a retirement community.

“I love it,” she said of her job.

Born in California, Fillius lived in Mexico before settling in Seattle.

She says her commitment to tin work has never been more focused.

“It’s probably the color and the fact tins have marvelous patterns,” she said of her craft. “And not everybody is doing it.”

The City of Auburn Arts Commission joined the museum to present the juried art show and sale.

The show celebrates the diversity and creativity in the regional arts scene and showcases the work of emerging and established Pacific Northwest artists, while offering the community an opportunity to purchase fine artwork.

Sale of the artwork is available throughout the exhibition, with 25 percent of the proceeds benefitting the museum.

For gallery hours and more information, visit www.wrvmuseum.org.

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And the winners are …

White River Valley Museum and the City of Auburn Arts Commission recently announced the winners of the Small Works, Big Presents: The Gift of Art juried exhibition and sale, on display through Dec. 18 at the museum.

Jury members Willow Fox, 4Culture Public Art Program; Colleen Maloney, City of Auburn Arts Commissioner; and museum director Patricia Cosgrove selected 74 pieces of art for inclusion in the exhibit.

The jury selected the following winners:

• Best in Show: Country Road, an acrylic painting by Rocky Barrick, $750 award

• First Place Mini Artwork (24″ circumference and smaller): Fresh Picked, a painting by Janyce Sukow, $250 award

• Second Place Mini Artwork: St. Andrews View by Karen Hopkins-St. Clair, $125 award

• First Place Small Artwork: House Boats, photography by Scott Manthey, $250 award

• Second Place Small Artwork: Emerald City, Act 3, Scene 2, a three-dimensional assemblage by Jenny Fillius, $125 award