Monday, March 10, 2014
My Love Affair with Paper: Paper Love Blog Hop
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| Paper Shadowbox of a Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar by me |
When I was 5 years old, an unassuming stack of colored paper forever put me under the spell of making things. I sat at my grade-school desk nonchalantly cutting some pieces of construction paper into long stripes. I always loved craft projects and this one started like all the rest, with a content and quiet feeling of focus.
I glued the ends of the paper stripes onto a white board creating little paper arches. The arches were all different heights and steepness. Some ribboned along like a Sunday drive and others were insane roller-coaster hills. The paper strips meandered over and under each other in pinks, lemon yellows, minty greens, and robin's egg blue.
Suddenly, this tangle of paper arches transformed into an entire world unto itself. I could feel the momentum as I traveled down the colored hills. I could see curves of pink soaring overhead fracturing in the sunlight. I could feel the wind of my imaginary world dancing on my skin, ruffling my hair. Thrilling. Complete. My very first taste of the alchemy of art. There was no turning back.
It was as if I was looking through a telescope and I finally found the perfect focus where this ordinary paper sculpture became a portal into my imagination - into a place entirely new and wondrous to me. I would return to this making again and again, to travel deep inside myself to meet uncanny characters and transverse the endless kaleidoscope of the internal landscape.
I fell in love – a long and lasting love and paper was always my faithful traveling companion. Reliable and constant. It was there in the beginning as the blank page – my wild-card ticket to unseen places. And it was there in the end, transformed into something I could not envision until it emerged out of the mystery and invited me inside.
It was as if I was looking through a telescope and I finally found the perfect focus where this ordinary paper sculpture became a portal into my imagination - into a place entirely new and wondrous to me. I would return to this making again and again, to travel deep inside myself to meet uncanny characters and transverse the endless kaleidoscope of the internal landscape.
I fell in love – a long and lasting love and paper was always my faithful traveling companion. Reliable and constant. It was there in the beginning as the blank page – my wild-card ticket to unseen places. And it was there in the end, transformed into something I could not envision until it emerged out of the mystery and invited me inside.
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| Cheshire cat Paper Shadow box by me |
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| Down the Rabbit Hole Paper Shadow Box by me |
If you love paper as much as I do, come by and follow my PAPER MAGIC Pinterest Board. Here is a delightful taste of what you will find there. These are paper sculptures by Su Blackwell who I adore. The books coming alive with their stories. How lovely!
The PaperLove Blog Hop is a celebration of all things paper! Follow the links to discover more bloggers who love paper and use it to inspire and delight. And if you want to explore a whole world of paper, and stretch your paper passion further with a host of creative projects, why not join the innovative new online course PaperLove (starts March 31). Led by book artist Rachel Hazell, PaperLove is a five week creative adventure for paperlovers. Find out more here.
Participant list
Majo Bautista / Tona Bell / Louise Best / Cathy Bluteau / Jennifer Bomgardner / Giova Brusa / Lindsay Buck / Beka Buckley / Joanna Caskie / Jonathan Chapman (Mr Yen) / Halle Cisco / Sarah Clare / Cathryn Clarge / Dawn Clarkson / Rhiannon Connelly / Jenny D'Fuego / Molly Dhiman / Ian Dudley / Ayisatu Emore / Akmal Farid / Monika Forsberg / Claire Fritz-Domeney / Louise Gale / Chrissy Gaskell / Julie Hamilton / Emma Hawman / Rachel Hazell / Holly Helgeson / Claudine Hellmuth / Kim Henkel / Sarah Hoffman / Joanne Hus / Paula Joerling / Beth Kempton / Julie Kirk / Eos Koch / Katie LaClair / Kristy Lankford / Michelle Manolov / Doreen Marts / Rosie Martinez-Dekker / Tori Mears / Maria Mederios / Lise Meijer / Debbie Miller / MaryJane Mitchell / Suzy Naidoo / Grace Noel / Hannah Nunn / Camilla Olsson / Jo Packham / Rachelle Panagarry / Monette Pangan / Melanie Paul / Nicole Piar / Jen Pitta / Liz Plummer / Julie Reed / Michelle Reynolds / Lisa Rivas / Angee Robertson / Natalie Ryan / Aisling Ryan / Elisabet Sapena / Kyrrha Sevco / Jamie Sprague / Elizabeth Steele / Terri Stephens / Juniper Stokes / Mary Tanana / Maike Thoma / Linda Tieu / Gabrielle Treanor / Tammy Tutterow / Deborah Velasquez / Jordan Vinograd Kim / Cat Whipple / Brooke Witt / Katie Wood / Amelia Woodbridge
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11 comments:
I so love doing this blog hop. So nice to read about every once love for paper. Thank you for sharing yours.
/Camilla Olsson - also in the blog hop www.camillaolssonart.wordpress.com
I love your paper work Nicole. I'm also in love with paper. I can relate so much. This post made me think that we should do paper craft night!
Beautiful paper shadow boxes!!
It is amazing how we use the same material in completely different ways!!
I'm really awful in contracting with paper!
Loved your post and will check your pinterest board!
I really like this post. I think you should make the paper arches again, they sound amazing. Going back to where it all began can be an amazing portal into your creative journey. I always used to draw houses and the teacher said I had to stop which was pretty bad for a five year old. Now, I can draw houses anytime I like and they are getting more and more interesting the more I do it.
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Oh these books are absolutely beautiful! I'm discovering the nicest things through the bloghop!
a x
It was such a thrill to be a part of this blog hop. I loved sharing my love of paper and the craft of decoupage with everyone. and even more excited to read about everyone else’s. #paperlove #bloghop In the blog hop – http://www.designfivestudio.blogspot.in/2014/03/for-love-of-paper.html
I love your intricate design work, your art is so whimsical, I especially like the one with the girl peeking around the corner. Thanks for sharing on this fun bloghop :)
...your work is gorgeous! And yes, I have heard of Sue's work before - I totally get why you are inspired: me too! Only I haven't ventured into that world just quite yet... On day, one day :)
Thank you for stopping by my blog today and saying hello - it's been wonderful to connect with so many like minds!
Your creations are wonderful, and I so enjoyed seeing Sue's as well, I will have to visit your other site too!
Thanks for following on twitter hun. You work is so dreamy and ephemeral. It great this blog hop as revealed you to me.
www.cosmoeclectic.com
So loved being part of this hop. I am discovering so many new, wonderful artists.
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