Large Scale Quilling Installation - Black Mirrors

Way back in my very first month of blogging, I featured Maine resident, Lauren Fensterstock, whose intricate and dark quilling installation, Parterre, composed of black paper, charcoal dust, and Plexiglas, was on display at Bowdoin College in Maine.

Black Mirrors

Recently Lauren's Black Mirrors, which also features black paper and charcoal, was part of a dual artist exhibit titled A Third Nature, this time at Aucocisco Galleries in Portland, Maine.

Black Mirrors

Black Mirrors
was inspired by Lauren's fascination with the framing tool called Claude Glass, a black convex mirror used by sketching artists in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to reflect picturesque landscapes. The mirror was popular because it reduced and defined an image of nature in such a way that it would appear perfect.

Black Mirrors
Lauren explains her materials... "Charcoal is known for its ability to absorb and purify the air around it. In 'A Third Nature' the charcoal appears to obscure and destroy an image of ornamentation [paper quilling], while acting as a grounded and healing physical presence."

Black Mirrors

Currently her work is on display in Texas through February 19 at the Austin Museum of Art in a site-specific installation entitled Two Takes on One Space. There she's used cut and curled black paper to create monochromatic landscapes... "two dramatic room-sized floor pieces that appear to contain the wildness of nature, one a tranquil reflecting pond, and another a teeming mass of vegetation." I would love to see this, as I would all of Lauren's work, and appreciate that she is elevating quilling within the art world.

See many more images of Lauren's work at her website.
All images of Black Mirrors via Aucocisco Galleries.
Ann Martin
Ann Martin

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Comments

  1. Oh, marvelous! I'm going to add the show to an All Art Friday.

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  2. So pretty, and I bet it looks just spectacular in person!!

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  3. those are amazing. so beautiful

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  4. very very impressive! an average quiller (me, that is!) wouldn't think to do all black works like these ;)

    xoxo
    stephanie

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  5. Awe-inspiring!! Some of her pictures in her website show such details.

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  6. Your description of the room-size floor pieces sounds fascinating! Can just imagine what a sight they must be!

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  7. Completely agree with all of you... Lauren's work must be spectacular when seen in person. The photos are lovely, but it's so difficult to capture all black.

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  8. Ann, Lauren ceratinly elevates quilling into the artworld!!! Lauren's work is intriging and I also would love to be able to see this artwork up close, as monochromatic black doesn't really show up that well on my monitor. What great concepts and ideas!!! Lauren's work are an inspiration!!
    Licia Politis

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  9. Wonderful is the only word that comes to mind about this work. It's a shame the lighting wasn't better so that the work could be shown properly. I love working with a monotone color palette.

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