"The Lost Years" - Sea Turtle Paper Sculpture

Let's dive right in and explore the intricacies of this mesmerizing piece. "The Lost Years" is a three-dimensional sculpture that creates an enchanting underwater scene within a transparent cylindrical vessel. Imagine being immersed in an underwater wonderland, with a vivid representation of a coral reef at the base. The diverse range of colors – from pinks and oranges to yellows and greens – brings this underwater ecosystem to life. With textured details and granular touches, the reef truly resembles the complexity and diversity found in nature.

As you gaze upwards inside the clear vessel, you'll discover elements that mimic marine life, aquatic plants, and coral formations. These vibrant colors – greens, yellows, pinks, and blues – are arranged in vertical patterns, creating a sense of weightlessness and movement, as if you're exploring the depths of the ocean.

Now, let's talk about what inspired me to create "The Lost Years." Have you ever heard of the mysterious first decade in a turtle's life? Once these tiny turtles make it to the ocean, scientists don't know exactly where they go or live during this time – hence the term "The Lost Years". I found this concept intriguing and decided to capture their journey and story through my artwork.

In my imagination, "The Lost Years" serves as a beautiful, colorful, peaceful, and safe world for these turtles. This underwater sanctuary is filled with fish, seashells, starfish, and coral. It's a hidden place, away from the rest of the world, where these young turtles can learn, grow, and thrive. This artwork reminds us of the importance of preserving our environment and protecting these mysterious under-the-sea worlds for these little sea turtles.

Now, let's dive into the unique process of creating this artwork. "The Lost Years" is made entirely from hand-cut, acid-free, and archival papers. From the intricate details of the sculpture to the sand-like texture on the base, each element is carefully crafted from painted papers to create a lifelike appearance. The vibrant scene on the base is also painted using watercolor and gouache, adding an extra layer of depth and beauty to the artwork.

To showcase this captivating sculpture, it can be placed on a tabletop or displayed with a rotating, lighted base. The electric base offers a color-changing option or can be set to a solid color. The choice is yours to create the perfect ambiance and highlight the intricacies of "The Lost Years."

If you're as captivated by this awe-inspiring artwork as I am, "The Lost Years" can be yours for $950.00. The glass aquarium measures 4" in diameter and 7.5" high, while the rotating base is 4.5" in diameter and 1" high.

"The Lost Years" invites you to get lost in the enchanting world beneath the sea and raises awareness about the importance of preserving these mysterious environments. Let this sculpture serve as a reminder to protect our oceans and their incredible inhabitants.

That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed learning about "The Lost Years" and the inspiration behind it. Don't forget to keep an eye out for future creations that transcend the boundaries of art and imagination.

4.5” x 7.5” (Includes the rotating, lighted base)…………………………………..$950.00

“The Lost Years” is available for purchase at my SHOP

Until next time!

Capturing a World of Color

I am so excited to share with you my paper sculpture titled, “Capturing a World of Color”. It is also currently a part of the Animals in Art Show 2024 at Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head, NC. You can view the show online or in person at the gallery. 10% of the proceeds from the art bought at this show, will go to the Coastal Humane Society in the Outer Banks, NC.

This piece is truly a labor of love, and I can't wait for you to see all the intricate details. Let me start by giving you a visual description of the artwork. “Capturing a World of Color” is a three-dimensional piece that features a cylindrical clear glass container as its centerpiece. This aquarium is surrounded by a beautifully textured sculptural base, which has an organic form with stunning pink, orange, and yellow hues. The textures resemble coral or exotic plant life, with starfish adding a touch of life and nature to the piece.

 Inside the glass aquarium, you will find a mesmerizing assemblage of colorful elements. These elements mimic aquatic flora and fauna, creating a vibrant underwater landscape. The underwater scene includes a variety of aquatic plants and creatures in different shades of blues, reds, and greens. Notice the sea turtle swimming among the plants. The colors and textures really come alive when the light interacts with them, thanks to the clear glass.

Now, you may be wondering what inspired me to create "Capturing a World of Color." Well, I've always been fascinated by the beauty of underwater ecosystems. I wanted to see if I could recreate that beauty using paper and paint, but with a twist. Instead of creating a traditional aquarium, I wanted to place the fish and coral reef inside a unique glass container, making the paper sculpture appear as though it is an actual underwater scene. The challenge of capturing the essence of an aquarium with unconventional materials was truly inspiring to me.

One of the most unique aspects of creating this artwork was the process itself. The entire piece is made by hand-cutting paper and then meticulously painting it with watercolor and gouache. The level of detail required was both challenging and rewarding. Additionally, the glass aquarium is placed on a sandy beach, which is also made out of finely hand-cut paper resembling sand. The colorful coral reef is not only displayed inside the glass aquarium but also on the sandy beach outside the glass, creating a cohesive and dynamic composition.

"Capturing a World of Color" celebrates the beauty of natural forms, textures, and the vibrancy of aquatic ecosystems. Through this piece, I hope to convey a message about the importance of biodiversity and the wonder of underwater life.

 I can't wait for you to experience “Capturing a World of Color" in person at Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head NC., or online at Seaside Art Gallery

It truly is a unique and captivating artwork. Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to check out my other creations!

8” high x 4” wide…………………..$895.00

Making a 3D Coral Seascape Come to Life With Paper

I like creating 3D under-the-sea paper sculptures because I can add a lot of different textures and vibrant colors to the scene, such as my design, “Coral Reef.” I also like making the sand out of paper – keeping the entire paper sculpture authentic –100% made out of paper. 

For this colorful “Coral Reef” paper sculpture, I wanted to highlight the crab and the clown fish. I also wanted to intermix flat papers with three-dimensional pieces. For instance, the magenta and light purple coral on both sides of the illustration are 3D in that they come out of the flat papered background, but, the coral is made with flat paper.

In contrast, if you look closely at the 3D paper seashell (bottom left corner) and the paper crab, they are both a completely three-dimensional object that you can hold in your hand, prior to me attaching it to my “Coral Reef” illustration. Both the crab and the seashell are not a flat piece of paper but life-like mini versions of the real thing.

Another example is the fish. The yellow fish in the middle of the “Coral Reef'“ illustration are three-dimensional — coming out of the paper, not attached to the flat background — but the fish is painted on flat paper.

In contrast to the yellow fish are the completely 3D clown fish. Each one of the orange, black and white clown fish come out of the paper as individual components of the design. Their bodies are about one-quarter of an inch in width.

Can you tell if the blue fish in the background are completely three-dimensional or if they are made using a flat piece of paper? 

Using a combination of flat papers and completely three-dimensional objects creates another element of dimension, texture, variation and interest to this colorful paper-sculpted “Coral Reef.” Plus, it was so much fun to create. I look forward to making another one in the future.

The original “Coral Reef” piece has already sold, but you can purchase a notebook with the coral reef art printed on the front cover in my shop on my website here. The coral reef art is also available on a mouse pad in my shop.