Studio Tosca

From washed-up beach plastic to fine line artworks

Studio Tosca turns plastic waste from the beaches of Terschelling (and other local streams) into colourful art panels, then covers them with fine line drawings inspired by island life. Each piece is both a work of art and a slice of awareness about recycled plastic that would otherwise keep drifting through our throwaway world.

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Plastic waste from the beach transformed into art by Studio Tosca | Waste Alchemists

About the alchemists

Studio Tosca is the art label of Tosca Abrahams. She grew up on a farm in Overijssel and fell in love with Terschelling. Loving drawing was never the question, the real question was how to keep creating in a way that’s good for the world. Inspired by others combining passion and impact, and confronted daily with plastic washing ashore, she decided: the waste itself would become her canvas. That’s how her collection “Recycled Lines” was born which let her to where she is today.

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About the waste

The core “ingredient” of Studio Tosca is washed-up plastic: broken crates, packaging, rope, and fishing-related waste that ends up on Terschelling’s beaches, often because it’s cheaper to discard it at sea than bring it back to shore. She also receives plastic from companies and households. The key is type, not just shape: Tosca actively looks for PP and HDPE, which can be safely melted, and avoids PVC and other problematic plastics that release toxins when heated.

About the process

The journey starts with collecting plastic, often at low tide and outside peak season, sometimes with the help of Martin and their dog Snack. The finds are cleaned, sorted by type and colour, and shredded into small pieces. These flakes are then melted and pressed into solid plates, either via her own equipment or in collaboration with partners like Circlefied. Once cooled, each plate is cleaned again to remove any greasy layer so paint can stick. Only then does she have what most artists would simply buy in a shop: a blank canvas made from 100% recycled plastic.

About her creations

On these recycled plastic canvases, Tosca creates her signature fine line artworks. Subjects are often drawn straight from island life: waves, dunes, plants, abstract lines, animals, and landscapes, many of them clearly inspired by Terschelling. Pieces come in different sizes and weights (from small tiles to multi-kilo panels) and are available ready-made or commissioned for private clients and companies who want their own waste turned into art. Psst! Some of her artwork also include back-lights to give an extra touch to them!

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Some of Tosca's proudest moments

Some of Tosca’s proudest moments was collaborating with a local hospital that collects its own plastic waste. She transformed that waste into art displayed in the hospital’s hallways, so turning their daily waste into lasting inspiration. Another one was when Tosca launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2024 to buy her own “platenpress”, aiming to recycle even more beach plastic locally. The community didn’t just support her, they more than doubled the target, reaching over €9,000 and making the machine a reality. Every future artwork pressed on that machine is literally powered by a community that believes in turning washed-up plastic into conversation-starting art.