Apart from copper wire and acrylic paint my other favourite medium has to be paper. I think its such a beautiful material, pure, crisp, white, so versatile and available in a rainbow of colours, textures and opacity from fine see through vellum to fibrous handmade paper.
Reading up on the origins of paper was interesting as it is something I think we all take for granted. Paper is named after the Egyptian word Papyrus where reeds of the Papyrus grass were woven into mats then pressed and pounded into a thin sheet. It was actually the Ancient Chinese who invented paper as we know it today, a man called Tsai Lun in 105 AD discovered that by macerating and separating fibres from bark, remnants of hemp, rags of cloth and even fishing nets by pounding and stirring in water could then be lifted through a sieve and dried to create paper. This is exactly like the paper making kits we can make or buy today that turn our unwanted waste paper, magazines and junk mail into recycled paper at home.
I love the idea of repeating units, paper cutting and the combination of the two! Here are some truly amazing paper sculptures I have found while browsing the internet. Hope you are as astounded by them as I was when I first saw them.
Paper cut tapestries on a huge scale by Tomoko Shioyasu. The time, patience and skill this must have taken to create. Tomoko uses utility knives and soldering irons to cut these patterns by hand. You can see more of this artists work here
Paper cut Tapestry by Tomoko Shioyasu
More intricate paper cuts by Eric Standley from Virginia have a mesmorising mandala influence to them. His pieces are often at least 3 inches deep with layer upon layer of cutting. See the artists website for more information
Paper Art by Eric Standley
A different take on paper cutting by Kuin Heuff who first paints portraits on paper then cuts away to reveal another creation. Visit her site to see more of her uncut paintings and paper cuts. This certainly has got me thinking that maybe I get far too precious about finished paintings, I think i would find it hard to take the bold step of cutting it into pieces.
Paper cut portrait by Kuin Heuff
I am a huge fan of Mia Pearlman, both her paper cuts and paintings. Reading interviews with the artist is very inspiring and her work is breathtaking. Visit her site to find out more : Mia Pearlman
Mia Pearlman
Paper sculpture and paper cutting is becoming more and more popular and I know it is something I would love to attempt seriously but really the space issue is a problem for me. I love the use of lights in the installation of these paper pieces by Chris Natrop. When I made my easy paper cut leaves for the Midsummer Masquerade I also used the effect of a lamp to give shadows and effects but really there is no comparison between the crude leaf cuttings I made to these incredible paper artists I have featured.
Installations by Chris Natrop