Perfectly Precise Paper House Luminaries from Belgian Paperworks
As I told Anne, I love coming across people who are doing exceptional work, but haven’t yet attracted a ton of attention. I'm happy to help get the word out about her perfectly made little houses, windmills, schoolhouses and more. Enjoy getting to know Anne.
Tell us about the origin of your business name:
The name Belgian Paperworks comes from my husband's heritage and therefore our last name, which is Belgian. I am a native San Franciscan, raised in Berkeley, educated (art history/literature) on the East Coast. I had an early career in the auction houses of Manhattan, first Christie’s, then Sotheby’s.
Previously you were a hobby silversmith. What brought about your interest in paper?
I'm interested in exploring the values created through the interplay of light and shadow upon the beautifully textured paper with which I build, but even more, the values that appear when light passes through paper.
I have always been interested in fabricating dimensional artwork that moves, often illuminates, and always hopes to surprise and delight. Breaking this down: I love the engineering part and still adhere to my original design principal that each of my paper pieces must fold flat to store in a very small space, which adds complexity to every design.
Recently I've built more complicated structures - churches, windmills, houses with dormers - creating problems where interlocking volumes want to fold in opposing ways (although I enjoy making simple holiday paper ornaments also). Working through those challenges is the ultimate thrill for me.
Have you left silversmithing behind?
Silver simply wasn’t a great fit with a busy household and small children, although others have managed both with grace. But for me, with its chemicals and flames and sharp edges, it was not a fit. Cut paper could be easily pulled out, then packed away. And I could automate certain parts of my process by using a computerized cutter, which was very appealing.
Can you share a bit about your process?
I use creamy, 140 pound French watercolor paper, beautifully textured and very strong, as the foundation for each building. Then I add meticulous details by hand, with some houses having as many as seven layers, or close to 80 pieces. Finally the most delicate bits are reinforced, until every house is, literally, ready to shine. The finished houses are folded flat for shipping and storage, and are designed to last for years.
Have there been influences on your work from outside the art world?
Genealogy: I'm interested in genealogy and have researched both my family and my husband's, documenting some lines as far back as the 16th century. I found myself wondering who these people were, how they lived, and what their daily lives were like.
In some cases, my research has turned up photos or drawings of the actual homes in which our ancestors lived, and those homes became my original Christmas-card houses (below). Eventually I hope to create work based on each of the various cultures that have come together to create our family.
Travel: Shocker, after a few years in New York I left the art world entirely to lead bicycling and hiking trips for Backroads, one of the first companies to offer high-end active travel vacations. I could see the writing on the wall, understanding that grown-up life would tie me down, and decided to take this incredible opportunity to see the world. I spent ten months out of every twelve in Europe, Africa, the Himalayas, Patagonia, New Zealand, the Galapagos, and so on.
It really was a dream job, letting me spend long months at a time in many corners of the globe, getting to know each region through its people, its history, its cultures. I ultimately traveled with them for a dozen years, and these experiences absolutely inform my work.
Ultimately my work is meant to evoke a sense of home, shelter, safety, community, and love. I use paper and soft companionable light to do so. And in my illuminated paper pieces, the beauty, for me, comes as much from the engineered transitions from two dimensions, to three, and back to two, as it does from the detail, and the treats revealed by light.
Anne participated in #AMonthInPaper on Instagram this past March, and I'm so glad she did as her friendly posts give additional insight into her process. If you're active on IG, have a look at @belgianpaperworks and visit Anne's Etsy shop, Belgian Paperworks, where new designs are often added.
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