Have you ever heard that one man's trash is another man's treasure? Well, Chris Schleich knows the phrase well...In fact, she is the epitomy of finding treasure in trash.

That's why dumpster diving plays such a critical role in her artistic process. It's not often you find an artist looking for art supplies in a dumpster. But there aren't many artists that are as resourceful as Chris Schliech, "It's like anything goes and if I don't like it I'll just throw it away in a dumpster."

The Crete native has been creative her whole life but she began turning trash into treasure about 9 years ago when she and here husband built a new home in southeast Lincoln. The bare walls became her blank canvas, "So we got a chance to fill it up with canvases, photography, paintings, we filled it up with who I am and what I love and that's art."

Signs of chris' unlimited creativity are everywhere in her home, "I wanted to build it who I am, what I love to do and it's creative and it's fun and it's my passion."

The key for this 49-year-old is her never ending artistic vision, "I see art everywhere." And for this former special education teacher the key word is potential, "I have a background in education and I see it in people, I see it in things it's like what it could be, not what it is. When i see junk, it's like, 'ohh, what can I make out of that? What could that be? What can I turn it into?'"

Eight months ago, Chris opened her own art gallery named Studio 7 in downtown Lincoln. She's always wanted a way to display and sell her unique faith-based art. And now she has one at Parrish Studios. It's on the second floor at 14th and O Streets.