I doubt Rembrandt thought much about the toxicity of his oil paints, but today there's a burgeoning crop of artists that puts sustainability issues at the forefront of their work.

Cinnaminson resident Lauren Lopez is one such eco-minded artist. A graphic designer and illustrator, Lopez imbues her work with a genuine environmental ethos. That's manifested in the clients she services, the materials she works with, and in the green lifestyle she leads. 

Lopez's father was an environmental scientist, and her upbringing was one that emphasized a kinship with nature. And with a University of the Arts education, this skilled sketcher combines eco-awareness with some serious design chops.

Her portfolio of work is diverse, including concert posters, baby announcements, wine bottle labels, as well as web design services and logo creation. But what's consistent across that broad spectrum is an adherence to her ecological values. That's evident in the list of satisfied clients which includes Cherry Hill's Woodstock Trading Company, Paws Farm in Mount Laurel, and the wonderful nonprofit organization across the river, Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia, for whom she designed reusable tote bags and brochures.

She's currently running a contest through her blog, offering free site design to one lucky winner.

While online design doesn't use much in the way of raw materials, its physical world counterpart—think oil paintings, sculptures, and mixed media installations—certainly do. 

Quakertown-based artist Steve Tobin's work is very much about raw materials. He creates grand monuments in clay, bronze, steel and glass. His sculptures have garnered great acclaim, such as his 2005 work, Trinity Root, one of a series of massive bronze creations, which now sits at St. Paul's Church in New York City, and serves as a 9/11 memorial.

Tobin's structures represent a strain of art that is not only inspired by nature, but is itself part of nature. For shore-goers, his work will be featured at an exhibitionin Long Beach Island June 30 through Aug. 28, as curated by Bridgette Mayer, whose contemporary gallery on Washington Square also featured Moorestown resident and abstractionist Joe McAleer in a solo show in May 2010.

But where real-life art meets the vast streams of waste in industry, Voorhees resident Suzy Sherbine enters the scene. Her material of choice? Trash. She collects the discards found on the streets of Camden, and reassembles them into sculptures that are fascinating to behold, but that also offer a message about the environmental injustices in where our trash ends up, and who it affects.

Art, being the subjective process that it is, stimulates different feelings in different audiences. When an artist can communicate an idea—something more than just aesthetics—they reach a higher plateau, one that enters the realm of social commentary. Between Lopez, Tobin and Sherbine, these creatives each tell stories in a variety of ways, but a common thread is this: nature is beautiful, and what's even more beautiful is the act of preserving it.