Paper Sculpture: ‘Can You Find My Lucky Four Leaf Clover?’

I wanted to make a whimsical, three-dimensional paper sculpture for an upcoming miniature show. After doing some sketches, I came up with the idea of creating a little rabbit.

I wanted the bunny — who I call Flower — to be sitting on top of the hill she calls home. I also thought she needed a little basket to sit in so she can be comfy and cozy. I imagined that she is collecting and saving some of her favorite items and foods.

Now that I had my idea thought out and sketched, it was time to start working on all the pieces. Using white paper and a scissors, I cut lots of thin pieces of paper to create thin grass-like shapes. Then I took the grass shapes and formed them into a decorative hill for Flower to sit on. I wanted there to be a couple of holes at the base so she could stow away a special surprise.

Next I needed to make a tiny little “wicker” basket all out of paper, of course. I’ve always love woven baskets, especially the different styles and shapes. I have collected many different styles and varieties of baskets over the years.

After weaving an actual-size paper “wicker” chair and table for a large-scale exhibition, I wanted to see if I could make a miniature basket using just paper and paint. I started with white paper cut into narrow strips. I was debating what color to make the basket, but then realized I didn’t need to narrow myself down to one color or style.

So, I painted the narrow strips of basket weaving paper into a couple of different colors so I could make a variety of baskets. One basket would be used for this paper sculpture. I also did a few additional weavings to plan for some other ideas I have in mind. After the paper was dry, I started weaving the basket.

After I made the basket, I started cutting the papers to make the rabbit. I wanted Flower to be sitting up in the basket with her arms over the sides. I also wanted her to hold a bunch of flowers that she collected to decorate her little home with.

I wanted the basket to sit on top of the hill. Because it is an important feature of her home, I had to make a little decorative ‘doily’ for the basket to rest on. I wanted the basket to look fancy too, so I cut out little hearts and attached those to each of the bows on the basket.

Next, I started cutting out maple leaves and carrots — lots of carrots of course! Then, I designed the outside of the bunny’s home. I also added clover and one little flower as additional decorations.

And of course, I had to include one of Flower’s little friends — a cute, teeny, tiny turtle. After all, everyone needs a friend in their life. Sam the turtle was made from paper that I painted in golds and browns. I was able to fit him inside one of the little openings in the grasses on the side of Flower’s hill.

Next, I needed to find a good spot to place Flower’s prized possession — her lucky four-leaf clover! And that finishing touch led me to the title of this artwork, “Can You Find My Lucky Four Leaf Clover?” Most recently, Flower and her home were on display at the annual Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society (MPSGS) miniature show at the Mansion at Strathmore near Washington, DC.

How Viewers Perceived My Country Garden Retreat Installation

As an artist, when I create a new piece, I am not only considering the piece I want to make, but also the feeling, thought or emotion I want the viewer to experience and take away from my art. I like creating fun art that engages viewers with my art, hoping it makes them feel joy.

One of the problematic issues as an artist, like many of us who work alone in a studio, is you can only imagine how your audience will receive your art and hope it is in the way you planned. But, unless you are at a gallery watching or talking with guests, you can never really be certain how the art was perceived.

With my “Charming Victorian Country Garden Retreat” exhibition, I hoped people viewing the art would take away feelings of contentment and peace. The porch scene would be a place where they could want to come and have a cup of tea — a place to relax and enjoy themselves. And, of course, as they look at my art, I was really hoping they would begin to notice all the details I added such as the family pets, birds, butterflies, ants, bumble bees, and the not-so-obvious items such as a dragon fly, caterpillars, and pinwheels. I wanted to help capture this moment in time for viewers, long enough to realize the beauty in these everyday experiences we often walk right past.

I also was curious what people’s favorite part was of my country garden paper sculpture installation. I have my favorite things to create, and even one or two things that I would prefer to not make again. But what about those who saw it in person?

This installation was such a large project — about 1.5 years’ worth of work — and I was curious how my plans compared with people’s real experiences of the work. I decided to send out a mini survey to some of the people who viewed my art installation in person. I kept asked two questions:

1. What was your favorite part of my paper sculpture installation?

2. How did it make you feel when you viewed my art?

Here were the results from my very unscientific survey:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people had many different answers for their favorite part that spanned the entire installation. The animals, including the turtle, owl, corgi and dogs, cats, all the butterflies and moth, and the character of the ants. One said they liked all the animals, and the “sense of playfulness.”

For others, it was the setting that really stood out, including the hand-woven wicker paper sculpture table and chair, grapevine wreath, flowers in the vase, the silhouette of the couple dancing, and the teacup. The wisteria, peonies and all the flowers also got votes, along with the hidden objects throughout the installation.

When I asked how the art made people feel, I also got such a wonderful variety of responses as to what spoke to people. Many expressed the detail and finding hidden treasures among the work made them smile — there was a joy in finding something new every time you look at it. There was also surprise that the entire installation was made out of paper!

Some found a sense of love and romance because of the couple dancing in the window in the background of a nostalgic porch scene. Others felt content and peace, relaxation in a peaceful garden, nostalgia for simpler times and a reminder of being young.

“It's such a creative representation of how beautiful things can be we walk past every day and seeing it in art form where there are new things to discover every time you look is a reminder to do this out in the real world too,” said one visitor.

I am happy to see the fur critters were so popular, since they are something that I really enjoy making. It was a pleasant surprise to see a nice variety of items people liked, especially because I included such a spectrum of smaller pieces for the installation, from the trees to the smallest ant. I was also glad that several people mentioned it reminded them of yesteryear — feeling nostalgic, relaxed on the porch, and of course, the fun of looking for all the objects.