The collage that Zazzle doesn't want you to see

Zazzle is where pop art goes to die. If Andy Warhol were alive today, Zazzle probably wouldn't let him print his Brillo or Campbell's Soup work. As I made clear in my artist statement, I make art out of garbage. Is it my fault that much of that detritus has corporate logos on it? Here is the collage that Zazzle doesn't want you to see:

Netflix and chill  |  2019 |  recycled paper on canvas  |  2" x 2"  |   $20

It looked so great on a t-shirt, but Zazzle deleted it.

I had the same problem with The Doll Project a few years ago. As it turns out, Zazzle sells official Barbie products so of course they're going to look out for Mattel's interests. I suppose what I should have done is applied for a job at Netflix, come up with this design before they fired me, all while probably not getting paid very well. Excuse me for not finding that prospect appealing. I just wanted to make something interesting out of an old DVD envelope instead of putting it into a recycling bin, and this is the grief I get.

A few of my designs on Zazzle have flown under the radar. This collage has a cutout from a Tiffany and company magazine ad.

The Sum of its Parts has the Target logo in it because that part is made from one of their plastic shopping bags.

I'm sure it's one of those things where the percentage of the imagery that features copyrighted and trademarked elements matters. In any event, the policy ties the hands of artists who seek to use the debris of our disposable consumer culture as our raw materials. They may make it harder to produce reproductions of our work, but they can't stop us from selling the originals. So if you want to get a piece of art that was banned from Zazzle, come to my open studio tonight.