YORK, Pa. — York County couple Parker James Hooker and Robin Robinson have been creating dozens of repurposed masterpieces in Springettsbury Township since 2019, in honor of their family members that have passed away from brain cancer.
Their artwork is a memorial to Hooker's daughter, Patricia Ann Owens' mother, Patricia Ann Hooker, and Robinson's sister, Kay.
From yard sales to old family memorabilia, these two artists like to take what some might consider trash and put their own unique spin on it.
"[Out of] all the universes, this is the only place like it," Hooker said. "This is our happy corner."
One day the couple found a Statue of Liberty in the garbage with her hand broken off, so they brought her back to life by creating a new hand for her.
Hooker likes to describe their process as "trash art."
Their artwork is on display outside their home for locals to enjoy, including "Goldy," a mannequin wearing a gold dress with a computer full of 100 LED solar lights as a head.
"I've been...crafty all my life and I went from one thing to the next thing, to the next thing," Robinson said. "I made jewelry, I made patchwork quilts out of people's clothing, memory quilts."
"Most of my stuff is just a finished doodle," Hooker said. "I just don't think about it—I look at something and I just sort of start there and before you know it, it's something totally different."
Hooker explained that his artwork has been an outlet for him to heal since the passing of his family.
"I needed this to...try to keep my mind busy, keep my hands busy, and just help me get through the day and it just kept growing," Hooker said.
Hooker and Robinson both use their artwork as a tool to release built up energy and mitigate stress and depression.
"We choose to be happy, because that's our choice and we take that," Hooker said. "This time of my life right now is exactly where I wanted to be all my life."