Work in Progress: Wearable Paper Art Part 2

These lovely red things are what I started working on after I set aside the cut paper strips. I love these so much, but it may be the colour, because red is my favourite. I started by cutting about twelve or so, and then cut another bunch to bring the number up to thirty. It’s hard to tell in the first two photos but some of the paper is in two different shades of orange and not red. They range in size from an inch in diameter to two and a half (I think).

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Work in progress, cut paper pieces

These will all come together into a wearable piece, when I finally figure out what shape and size of base I want to attach them to. I’ve been prototyping these but haven’t yet settled on one I’m satisfied with.

Work in progress, cut paper pieces

This will end up as a ridiculously elaborate paper wearable, but I wanted to make something spectacular for the show in September.

Work In Progress: Wearable Paper Art

With the tyvek installation completed, last week I launched into prototyping ideas for some of the other work I need to create for the same show. I’ve agreed to make wearable pieces from paper for Hammer Cut Stitch Repeat in September. The show is organized by jewellery designers, Patsy Kay Kolesar and Simone Richmond, around the common theme of pattern and repetitive work.

The photos pictured here are from last week when I was exploring an idea around making an elaborate collar piece from strips of cut paper. It didn’t work out so well, so I played around with curling the paper and seeing what happens. I did not come up with an idea I am happy with so I’ve set this one aside for now.

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I do like the organic forms I can create this way, and of course the shadows. I set this idea aside this week to forge ahead on something else that is actually going well so far. More on that in another blog post.

Flowers Made From Paper

A few weeks ago I helped make paper flowers as decorations for a friend’s wedding. It was something I’d wanted to try after flipping through a copy of Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts at a bookstore. The initial flower making session with friends led me to working on an installation of paper flowers in my apartment to share during the Eastside Culture Crawl.

The flowers are made from colourful tissue paper and masking tape, with cloth covered wire as the stems. They’re a mix of torture and enjoyment to make because it’s not easy wrapping thin paper around a tiny wire and ending up with it in the resemblance of a flower.

At the moment I have less than thirty flowers completed, and hope to make twice that many. I’m really hoping this installation idea is going to look as magical in person as it does in my head. It’ll definitely give visitors a pleasant blast of colour when they stop by during the Culture Crawl.

And if you’re wondering, all the flowers will be available for purchase – in case you want to take the magic home with you.