Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day.

So the aspiring artist and inspired activist came up with an idea — to cover the gas station with a colossal handmade blanket in a way that would bring greater attention to the world's dependency on oil.
“I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics”, said the 27-year-old Marsh, who is finishing her master of fine arts degree at the Syracuse University.

With the help of professional and amateur artists from 15 countries and more than 2,500 grade-school students in 29 states, Marsh covered the 50-year-old former Citgo station with more than 3,000 fiber panels that are crocheted, knitted, quilted or stitched together.

The panels cover 5,000 square feet and come in every colour, hue and texture. Some carry written messages: “Give me oil or give me death.”

Some of the more imaginative panels are made with the labels from plastic beverage containers, plastic shopping bags and plastic six-pack carriers — all petroleum products.

Marsh, originally from Columbus, Ohio, got interested in using sculpture as social medium after a volunteer trip to Dharmasala, India, several years ago. Marsh's plan was to cover a barn until she drove by the gas station one day in March 2007 and had an impulse. She tracked down the gas station owner and got permission to use his property. The aging station was closed four years ago.

The blanket went on in mid-April and will stay on through mid-July.

There are about 200,000 abandoned gas stations in the U.S., according to Marsh’s web site. Marsh is undecided what her next project will be, but she knows it will be in Huntsville, where she will move in July for a one-year teaching position at the University of Alabama.