cut paper / wood 11 7/8″ x 8 7/8″ ( 30cm x 20cm)
During High School I went through a strange 6-month patch where my whole world seemed to revolve around turtles. Not real live turtles. The theme of turtles. A friend tried to nickname me “Turtle” (it didn’t take). After a car accident, a vet I worked with concocted this amazing story about how a turtle had been the cause. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were huge. The list goes on. In fact, the list got so long that I decided it could not be coincidence. The universe was trying to give me a message, and that message was “TURTLE”. I still have no idea what it all means.
Nowadays, turtles have taken a backseat to monkeys. Monkeys are great. They share so many behaviors with us “higher” primates, it’s easy to see ourselves in them. And they worry. Or at least seem to. That’s where “StressMonkey” comes from. It’s my nickname for anyone who thrives on stress. There’re alot of us around.
I’ve started playing around with the idea of the cut paper art in three-dimensions. Not so much in the sense of introducing space between layers into the work. I know a number of folks who do beautiful work that way. More along the lines of continuing the artwork past the border of the image, onto the sides and back. Right now, it’s pretty simple. But given time and the right materials (and the funds to buy said materials), I’m starting to have interesting ideas.
I was actually surprised to see how long it’s been since I’ve done a monkey piece. Over a year, when I made Gleek here (am I the only one who remembers the Superfriends cartoon?) The first was Social Grooming.
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This is a very impressive piece. Great work. What kind of medium you are using here paper on canvas or wood panel, maybe? It is very nice. I also like the colors and the mood you created on the piece too.
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Great piece! I’d love to see the 3-Dimensional ones!
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I’m intrigued to see how this idea of three dimension evolves for you.
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Once again your work with paper just amazes me….
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Wow, incredible work !!! Are you crazy ?
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Sheesh! So meticulous. I’d end up stabbing myself with an exacto-blade after 5 minutes, if I tried what you do! : )
I think you’re fantastic at the use of negative space….
Thanks for commenting on my worried 50′s lady! -
Thanks for all the kind comments, everyone!
timafli – Yes, it’s paper on wood. I’ve always wondered if canvas would be any good for these kinds of pieces. I’ll have to try it someday.Mam’zelle and kirsten – cRaZy? Possibly. I actually find the cutting very relaxing, like a sort of meditation where the fingers do the work and the mind can wander off on its own. Gluing, tho, that’ll drive ya batty.
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Wow, I didn’t realise your works were so big. It’s great being able to see the whole thing, in all it’s 3d glory.
I love the freaky message of “turtle”… there’s a Murakami novel in that!
(So glad you were at the Tokyo Design thingo too, there’s been so much talk going on about that since!)
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Expand, explore, and swing to your heart’s content! This is great. Love the idea of moving beyond the canvas. YOU ARE AMAZING!
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Stunning work as always– I’m especially fond of the looping vines, & the dimensional view is great! I like to bring my images around the edges too. I think you’d enjoy trying paper on canvas– I do it all the time, though my collage elements are much less intricate of course. One tip: put something solid (like a piece of wood) behind the canvas while gluing so you don’t stretch & distort the canvas while pressing down, especially on a large piece where there is much more canvas than stretcher.
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Hey Back Patrick!
Thanks as always for the comments on my blog and the warm welcome back into the IF fold. Your work is as strong as ever… and primates, how could I not comment(a shared obsession)! I’d agree, they are so similar and yet distinct from us ‘higher primates’ that they provide a window onto ourselves (for better and for worse). And if that’s all a bit too deep and existential… they are really funny sometimes too! The 3D aspect to your work is very intruiging. Not to stick my oar in but I’d imagine the parallels between your approach and origami might offer some interesting possibilities…?Look forward to seeing more! -
flossy – It’s not that big…only about 9″ x 12″. Alot of my work is smaller, but I do a good amount that is bigger as well. I’d go even bigger if it wasn’t so pricey to ship to shows in the US. Yeah, the turtle thing kinda freaked me out a llittle at the time. It was just soooooo weird.
Neda – Thanks! That’s what art is all about, right?
Curious – Thanks for the great compliments! Vines are fun to do. Any kind of design element like that is a blast. The canvas sounds like a great idea for when I’m not working with wood textures. Thanks so much for the advice! I will definitely be trying it out soon!
Matt – Great to have you back, man! Your art is looking spectacular as well. I actually had an idea for using origami ages and ages ago, but it got buried in the sketchbook. It’s a very cool and exciting idea. Of course, I’ll have to re-learn how to do origami, but that’s the fun part! Monkeys, they also fling poop!
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