Pavlos

Because the rolling and folding of paper is often thought of as just a simple craft, it's inspiring when it receives recognition in the fine art world. The manipulated paper sculptures of Pavlos Dionyssopoulos provide many such examples.

Jackets, 1992, paper, board, rubber, and Plexiglas, 51¾ x 42½ inches via Christie's

In the early 1960s, Pavlos (who is usually referred to by his first name only) began creating finely detailed, still life compositions of machine cut strips of misprinted poster paper. His work took posters from flat objects to dimensional, expressive works of art.

Foret, 1971, cut paper in Plexiglas, 122 x 79.1 x 79.1 inches via artnet

Born in Greece in 1930, Pavlos studied at The School of Fine Arts in Athens. Originally an abstract painter, he received a Greek state scholarship for a three year stay in France, where he was introduced to a group of artists in Paris called the New Realists, from whom he was inspired to shape paper strips into art objects.

Chaussette, 1970, cut paper in Plexiglas, 18.5 x 14 inches via Arcadja

Pavlos's densely colored, realistic sculptures have been shown in exhibits primarily in France, Italy, Germany, and Greece, and are sold throughout the world via fine auction houses. I've been unable to determine if his work has ever been shown in America, but would be thrilled to see it in person.

Flowers, 1998, paper, wood, and Plexiglas, 48.5 x 38.5 x 2.5 inches via Arcadja

At age 80, Pavlos is still creating. This heart is one of his newest works.
untitled, 2010, paper cut poster, 43.3 x 40.2 x 2.2 inches via artnet

I highly recommend a visit to artvalue where you can click through pages and pages of his fascinating sculptures and collages. (I'm especially taken by the bottle and fruit still lifes - go see!)

Ties, 1997, mixed media on panel, 63 x 73 x 6 cm via Arcadja

Thanks to Licia Politis for introducing me to Pavlos. She came across his work via a documentary on a Greek television station that airs in Australia.

Nicole Lahy

Nicole Lahy is a graphic designer and artist in Madison, Wisconsin, who graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design just last year. Her very cool senior thesis caught my eye...

The project was a portion of her senior exhibition, so Nicole chose a large scale design that would work well in a gallery-like setting and appeal to all ages.

She spent a thousand hours on research, sketching, experimenting, screen-printing, cutting, and gluing, which I don't doubt for a moment.

The result was a playful, educational installation about birds (because Nicole loves them) and courtship (because it's a rare bird who isn't interested in that!)

Recorded bird calls were played in the background, along with carefully selected songs... "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, "Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra, "Make Love" by Daft Punk, and "At Last" by Etta James.


Visit Nicole's website to see more examples of her work, like this nifty paper illustration that was part of a series she made during an internship...


some Lady Gaga song illustrations...


a cardstock diorama of a still shot from her favorite movie, Amelie...


and some more fab lettering.

In My Head Studios

You may have guessed by now that I love wearable art. It's no wonder then, that the work of today's featured artist, Vickie Porter, from Rochester, New York, appeals to me.


As a self-confessed doodler, I never would have thought of framing my mindless tinkering, but look what Vickie does with hers! She doodles, draws, and works with a wide variety of beautiful papers to create "tiny works of awesome". Vintage wooden dominoes serve as canvases for her colorful creations.


Recently Vickie suffered a very frightening migraine that resulted in paralysis on one side of her body. Thankfully she's recovering nicely, and credits her love of making art with helping to regain fine motor skills. Of course her determination is a tremendous benefit too.


This altered Scrabble tile is covered with decorative paper and sealed with a clear, acrylic coating for protection.


I think this inch-square pendant called Fly Away Home is my very favorite. Vickie sandwiched the layered paper collage between two microscope slides and soldered them together with silver alloy.


She created the print on this domino from a miniature version of one of her larger, composite collages for which she uses a variety of papers, rubber stamps, acrylic paint, and ink.

A black and metallic silver design is embossed for a chic look.


Vickie's In My Head Studios Etsy shop offers the option of customizing a domino pendant (or Scrabble tile, microscope slide, etc.) with one of her designs or one of your own. She'll apply a special graphic, photo, or your child's art work... as Vickie says, "You dream it, I can do it!" With a positive spirit like that, I'm excited to see what the future holds for her.

Kirsten Hassenfeld

Ready for some knock-your-socks-off paper art?

Dans La Lune, 2007, close up

Kirsten Hassenfeld, a New York artist, has created incredibly ornate objects from mostly white paper that are far, far from ordinary.

Dans La Lune, 2007, paper with mixed media, dimensions variable, commissioned by Rice University Art Gallery Houston, Texas (photo by Nash Baker)

In Dans La Lune, (rough French translation - daydreaming) for example, Kirsten spent thousands of hours hand cutting, folding, and rolling three types of archival paper - tissue, corrugated, and vellum - to make translucent sculptures representative of abundance, or perhaps more critically, affluent excess.

Blueware, 2009, Installation at The David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Blueware is Kirsten's collection of sculptures that reference traditional motifs of the decorative arts. Although the material convincingly appears to be glazed pottery - surprise! - once again, it's paper.

Blueware (Flower), 2009, paper with mixed media, 8 x 6 x 6 inches

Blueware (Cloud), 2009, paper with mixed media, 23 x 14 x 12 inches

Blueware (Espalier), 2009, paper with mixed media, 86 x 96 x 11 inches

This is Suite, featuring faceted vellum garlands, reminiscent of gemstones or cut glass, and cameo-like silhouettes.

Suite, 2004, paper with mixed media, installed at Brooklyn Museum

And look, Kirsten quills beautifully too!

Suite, 2004, detail

She told me she was introduced to quilling as a child on a school trip to the home of an early Dutch settler near the Hudson River, not far from Albany, New York. She remembers being fascinated by a quilled piece on display that was marked as a traditional Dutch craft. When she started using paper in 1999, quilling came to mind as a suitably sculptural technique.

Offering, 2008, paper with mixed media, 90 x 102 x 48 inches

I asked Kirsten if there has been reaction to the quilling in her exhibits, and am sure those of you who roll paper will relate to her answer.
"Folks are always very focused on the "How long does this take you?" aspect of my work, which I think is odd, because people have always done time-consuming crafts, such as lacemaking, needlepoint, etc. Somehow when its paper, it's almost as if people can't believe I would spend so long on something so ephemeral."

White Treen, 2010, glass, metal, wood, Installation at ICA, Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine

In contrast, there's been a marked change in Kirsten's material of choice in the past year or so, from delicate paper to found treasure - trash - which never breaks down. Not surprisingly, she continues to create stunning art from unusual materials.

You might enjoy this interesting Houston Public Radio interview with Kirsten about Dans La Lune.

Collage Artist - Megan Coyle

Vivid animal and sea life collages composed of paper pieces cut from magazines caught my eye and brought back memories of grade school when free time meant doing just that... except this is mag-art all grown up. Flamingo Dancers 12 inches x 16 inches

The creator is Megan Coyle, a Washington, D.C. artist. She studied painting and creative writing in college, but has chosen to work in collage because she likes the way her "painting with paper" technique allows each picture to tell a story.

Megan looks through magazines for papers that are just the right colors for the image she has in mind, and begins the piece by creating the background. She often refers to a sketch or photograph while building the layers of paper. Simple scissors and repositionable glue are Megan's tools of choice. When a collage is complete, she applies a protective coating of varnish. Orange Monkey

"I'm constantly breaking down what I see into smaller pieces, piecing together each area bit by bit, occasionally stepping back to see the piece in its entirety."
Gorilla

All of these collages are new this summer and are on exhibit in her current show, The Animal Kingdom, at the Goodwin House Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, August 1- September 25.
Pelicans

Many more examples of Megan's work can be seen at her website and on Flickr.Yellow Bird

In addition to animals and landscapes, Megan collages incredible figurative portraits and still lifes. Read about her latest work and shows via her blog.

EdYodeco Paper Dolls

The name of Etsy shop, EdYodeco, translates to Enjoy design Your own. I bet there's plenty of enjoyment happening in Arizona when these whimsical 3D dolls are created from crepe paper, wire, and additional bits of upcycled papers by the owner, Uyen.
Amy and Emma are a pretty pair of sisters. I think we've caught them on their way out the door to a party.
This is sweet Katie. She looks quite demure with her downturned head, rose bouquet, and scalloped skirt.Here's Elisa in a yellow babydoll dress with dragonfly appliques. She's swinging her pocketbook without a care in the world.EdYodeco doesn't just make paper dolls... no, Uyen also creates fab flowers. Can you guess the material she used for these folded roses? Trader Joe's grocery bags. Clever!

Return to Zim and Zou

It's been awhile since we last checked in with Zim and Zou to see their newest paper creations. Lots of icy fun and bright colors ahead to get this week off to a cool start... look!Here's Penquin Rider, a poster and flyer the French design duo created for a ski/snowboard contest. I love the way simple, sharp snips of colored paper add such a lot of visual interest. (Try saying simple sharp snips three time fast, ha!)This is Inside the Cloud, an assemblage that features a wonderfully refreshing color palette. A perfect summer day comes to mind (which, of course, includes a laptop).
and ooh, such delicate cursive lettering.
And finally, Paper Game, just as clever as the real thing.Thibault Zimmermann (Zim) handles the digital art, rich medias, illustration, photography, and web design, while Lucie Thomas (Zou) is the handmade crafter of paper and other materials. I sure hope Zim and Zou have as much fun designing their projects as we enjoy seeing the final results.