Black Bird Collage

I love to work with paper - I find it therapeutic and challenging at the same time. I fell in love with beautiful papers while in art school, but began creating these 3 dimensional paper pieces in 2008. I find that I can be completely creative and innovative while creating this type of art. Some of my work is abstract, some contains imagery, some is serious, and some whimsical. There's a little something for everyone. My work has hung in galleries from New Hampshire to Oregon, and many pieces reside in private collections around the country (and beyond). A bit about what it takes to create my art: My work is a painstakingly time-consuming process; large sheets of fine white paper are cut into strips of varying lengths and widths, individually hand-toned, rolled tightly, and secured with thread. Those individual spools of paper are then married together atop a fresh sheet of handmade paper, to create the finished composition. Each small spool is just a fraction of the whole, arranged to bring forth images which are sometimes subjective, at other times abstract. I experiment with hue, texture, and pattern, to move the viewer's eye through each work of art. Large pieces consume pounds of paper, several spools of thread, and hundreds of hours to complete. I also have a line of work which I call "Rag Rolls". Magazine pages are cut into strips, rolled up and tied with thread. Those rolls are then laid on their sides so the patterns of the magazine pages are visible, and glued into place. Each finished piece of art has an image which presents itself through bits of color which are matched up - ever so painstakingly - to create...a bird, an elephant, a word...the ideas I have are endless. Fun Fact: Each Rag Roll piece has hidden words or characters among the rolls of magazines. It's always fun to watch people scan each piece trying to find what's hidden within! About me: I've been making art since I could hold a crayon - that's a long time! I graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in 1994 with a BFA in Illustration. I’ve painted murals on walls, faux finishes when they were a very popular thing, portraits of people, animals…people with their animals, I’ve painted just about everything. I’ve also sold bagels, cookies, lingerie, and wallpaper. Now, I’m passionate about the art I create using recycled and handmade paper.