British artist Ian Barry a.k.a. “Denimu” has abandoned all mediums except denim, which he’s been collecting and repurposing into stunning, detailed portraits and landscapes. What was his “ah ha” moment?

“I found myself staring at them, mourning the old pants from my youth,” Denimu states on his website. “I was transfixed by the ripped, faded beauty of the fabric. How the different blues contrasted against each other in a sea of shades. I couldn’t part with them; they were part of who I was then. And who I am now. I remember it was a time in my life when I was looking for a voice when I suddenly realised that what I had been looking for had been there all along.”

Wonder if he knows Marilyn was a fan of the denim on denim …