Daryl Ashton, Paper Sculpture Artist

Daryl Ashton works primarily in realistic paper sculpture. Trained in Philadelphia art schools, she's attracted to paper sculpting because of the manner in which the play of shadows and light bring depth to her compositions. Her fastidious attention to detail stems from the illustrative pen and ink drawings she does for scientific journals and medical texts.There's no doubt the New Jersey coastal island location of her residence influences her fascinating work.

Sea Creatures is the title of this large piece.Daryl begins by doing sketches and often develops a prototype before the final construction.Feeding Time Daryl enjoys bringing attention to the unique qualities of paper that allow it to be formed in unnatural ways to denote realism, such as the structure of the robin's nest.To ensure long term integrity of her work, she uses acid free paper, archival quality adhesive, and frames each piece under conservation glass. 3D Geometric is a free standing design made of sixteen 20-sided polygons. The shapes cast shadows, giving the white-on-white sculpture shades of gray as well. Daryl also creates in full color; you can see more examples on her website.

Photo credit: Rich Quindry