Ohio artist Mark Langan finds art and beauty in the repetitive corrugations of shipping box cardboard and turns this simple material into three-dimensional, framed art. We’ve profiled cardboard art before, see here, here, here and here. Mark finds his own take on cardboard-as-medium with his topographic, layered floral and abstract constructions. The corrugated cardboard seems to move and flow within the frames. I like the way the pieces retain their cardboardness without appearing flimsy or anything like shipping boxes anymore.

The corrugated lends itself well to patterns. When viewed from different angles and lighting, the piece changes.

Another great way to recycle corrugated boxes! You can see more of Marks art at www.langanart.com. There are more galleries in addition to the cardboard art - Mark is a self taught artist who is a talented woodworker, painter, illustrator and all around creative guy.

Visit www.langanart.com
Via Make!

The annual meeting for the Friends of Dard Hunter is scheduled to take next week in “paradise” as they describe it on their website:

Friends of Dard Hunter Annual Meeting
Paper In Paradise · Kona, Hawaii
October 23 - 26, 2008

I admit I don’t know as much about Dard Hunter as I should as a bookbinder. Here’s his Wiki entry. I first heard the name Dard Hunter in passing while visiting Rag & Bone papermaker Richard Langdell at his paper mill in rural Vermont many years ago. Richard was making paper in his barn at the time, there were chickens living in a coop under his paper studio, we took home blue and green eggs whenever we visited. The first time we made the trip, he picked berries in the woods the week before and made jam to go along with fresh baked bread and homemade butter. He was one of the best paper makers around but has recently moved on to bookbinding and book repair - still having fun with paper, but repairing it instead of making it.

Dard Hunter was a well known and respected papermaker, there is a collection of his papers in the Institute of Paper Science and Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.

If you want to learn more, visit www.friendsofdardhunter.org. Their mission statement:

Through its publications, and its annual meetings and other means, the Friends of Dard Hunter will provide a forum to exchange information and educate its members and the public about the art, craft, history, science and technology of papermaking, the book arts, and other diverse interests which captured the imagination of Dard Hunter (1883-1966).

Visit www.friendsofdardhunter.org.

I can’t say why exactly, but I want to walk through a whole forest of these cardboard and thread ‘objects’ created by Dutch artist Ferry Staverman. The pieces are made from a recycled cardboard material and range in size from small table top works to large ‘trees’. Can you imagine a forest of these “trees”? I can and want to live there.

Ferry’s site is in Dutch so I don’t have a lot to say except that I love his work. www.ferrystaverman.nl

Visit www.ferrystaverman.nl

I couldn’t decide which of Beatrice Coron’s beautiful paper cuts to post, so here are a whole bunch, they’re so beautiful, intricate and narrative. Most of these images come from Beatrice’s “Personal Cities” paper cut series.

Personal Cities began with the idea of imagining a city that would contain the essential elements of one single person’s life. Coron asked friends to describe the kind of city they would like to call home. She then made a paper-cut image of each person’s wishes, developing the concepts to their visual potential.

Beatrice was born and raised in Lyon, France and has been living and working in New York City since 1984. She has designed book covers and even furniture and welded & cut gates and iron fences, which is a natural extension to her paper cutting work.

There is so much more to explore over at her website, so do check it out.

View more of her work at www.beatricecoron.com

Brittish born, Scottish resident, Celia Richards works with old books, paper piano rolls and sheet music as her paper rich medium. She cuts out the hand-written notes from sheet music and the pages from books. Deconstruction of paper works she calls “Altered Objects”.

The removal of the notes from The Planets (for Two Pianos) by Gustav Holst is poetic and beautiful. I think the deconstruction is similar to modern music sampling, removing key elements from a particular piece to create something new, in this case a work of art from sheet music. Celia says:

I’m just kicking around Edinburgh making art and looking for work.

Sounds nice to me! I don’t find much more information about Celia on her website or at her Flickr account, but she wins the Rag & Bone trifecta for her awesome portfolio: book art, paper art & origami - all the things we love!

Visit Celia’s website
Visit Celia’s Flickr pages
Via Sub-Studio

I originally posted the work of Nel Linssen about a year and a half ago when we first launched the blog. See here. Recently I was looking for an old post and came across Nel’s work again.

The pieces shown here are all made from paper. She doesn’t divulge the secrets to method, but she has a minimalist style and precise technique. Are these folded? Are they laced onto a string? What keeps their twisted forms together? Not knowing is just as much fun, I love the mystery. Nel has a great color sense. These are sophisticated and understated, though if you were to wear one it would be the center of attention. Their forms are organic and look as if they would move with the wearer.

Be sure to check out her online gallery for even more eye candy. And if you’re interested in purchasing one of her pieces, they’ll set you back. Necklaces average around $1,200.00 - $1,400.00.

Visit www.nellinssen.nl

Etsy seller Yvette Hawkins, AKA: Paper Faerie, sells vintage paperback book sculptures. Their folded pages create three-dimensional book forms. They would look great in a library. Yvette lives in the North East of England. and only just graduated from Newcastle University. Give her a visit!

Visit Paper Faerie at etsy

Stefana McClure manipulates text and two-dimensional paper works into small scale sculptures by slicing them into thin strips and then rolling them into spheres. A map of the world is transformed into a globe - clever! Dvorak’s New World Symphonies turns into a little world.

See more at theJosee Bienvenu Gallery
Via Mocoloco

This is a great tutorial on paper cutting, by Heather over at skinnylaminx which I have to admit, looks a bit daunting. But like other tutorials on the net, I found myself thinking, “That looks hard”, but at the same time I’m also inspired to try it.

For instance, over the holidays we received a Rubik’s cube. I poked around the net to find out what solving a cube takes - it’s algorithms and practice. Like this tutorial, it seemed hard, but I figured, if the guy in the youtube video can do it, maybe I can… And now I can. And yes, I know, it’s really geeky. Whatever. I guess what I’m saying is that I love the ‘net and all the inspiration out there. It’s really cool what people can do and that so many share with the rest of us.

Anyway, I like the way heather describes the cutting process beyond the actual cutting instructions:

Step 2: Now it’s just about putting on some music and putting in the hours…

Step 3: Change the CD again, shake out your fingers, and keep on cutting…

Check out the website for the full tutorial, with lots of photos. Thanks Heather!

Visit Skinnylaminx
Via Craft

We’ve posted Frucci’s work before, a lot of her jewelry is crafted from paper. This is new to her etsy site, still paper, still using paper folding and origami / kirigami techniques. I really like the new work. Frucci transforms paper into work that’s more “jewelry” than “paper craft”.

Visit Frucci at esty

Artist Kelly Gardner uses books as medium to create these beautiful paper & book dresses. She even made an “Alice Dress” using pages from Alice in Wonderland. What a great use of books and paper in place of textiles.

I graduated in 1998 from Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds, with a First Class Honours Degree in fine art painting and printmaking. In 2001 I completed an MA in fine art at the University of Central England, Birmingham. I use a variety of media in my work, painting, collage, photographs and also 3D pieces. Central to all my work is the theme of memory, absence, echoes and traces. Textiles and the empty garment are my main inspiration.

You can see more of her work, with books and other media, at her website.

Visit www.kellygardner.co.uk

Young Miss Emily Morris [she has a MySpace page] just graduated art school and is already creating stunning larger-than-life paper cut art pieces. The piece pictured, titled Mister Charlsworth, has led to commissions for more of her intricate laser cuts.

I graduated this summer from Leeds college of art and design, england. A attained a BA (first class) degree in printed textiles and surface pattern design. My collection ‘Mister Charlesworth’ consists of laser cut paper panels featuring imagery of bugs and insects which are transformed into intricate lace-like cut paper designs.

This summer I exhibited the collection at “New Designers”, London which resulted in a commissioned piece of work for Chiltern St Studio, London. I produced a series of laser cut paper panels for a window display in the studio. I have also been approached by a boutique in Belfast, Ireland who are interested in showing my work in their store.

Good one Emily, and good luck with your beautiful paper art!

Via Design Sponge
VisitMySpace

I’ve posted Richard Sweeney’s work before. He is a cardboard and paper wizard. This is a cardboard can opener - at about a 100 to 1 scale. At first glance, these larger than life cardboard creations don’t look like large scale models but the real thing. How does he do it?

More at Flickr

Obsessive Paper Cuts
This kind of obsessive work is both impressive, and a little frightening too. How can one focus so much energy towards repeated works such as this? It’s so intricate. There’s something telling about this kind of work though. The dedication, the preciseness. It says as much about the artist as it does about the viewer. It takes a certain disposition, an obsessive bent I guess. Skirting the fringe of outsider art. I’ve posted similar work before: Jill Silvia

Which isn’t to say I don’t absolutely love it.

Californian Annie Vought is a painter by education. I don’t know much more than that. Her website is minimal and Mr. Google is mum on more information. She’s currently an associate director of the Budget Gallery.

What do you guys think of this work? Obsessive? Yes, I think so. Beautiful? I think so too. Someone noted on Stumbleupon that they didn’t think this was art. I disagree. It’s beautiful, even if you ignore the obsessive effort that went into creating it. It’s still in the realm of art for me. There are additional images on her website.

Visit www.annievought.com

Los Angeles native Chris Natrop uses paper as his medium, turning two-dimensional material into flowing, three-dimensional environments. The screen-like paper constructions flow around the viewer, like smoke or fog.

I’ve seen this kind of work only a few times, recently at the RISD museum this summer. Photos don’t do it justice. The cut paper seems both weighty and gossamer, the shadows and paper mingling to create different greyscale colored layers.

Reading his Bio, Chris cuts his paper very precisely but without a predetermined pattern - whatever happens, happens. Check out his website for more photos and press pieces.

Visit Chris Natrop

Columbus Ohio paper and ceramic artist Katie Parker creates hand-cut paper curtains and wallpaper. Check out her work on Etsy and Trunkt.

Visit Katie Parker
But at trunkt
But at etsy

This photo is in the latest issue of Wired Magazine accompanying an article titled Turns Out, Money Does Grow on Trees by David Wolman. The photographer is credited as Mauricio Alejo, but I wonder who created the art? Anyone know who did this? I emailed Mr. Wolman, maybe he knows. Geez, I just noticed that’s a Benjamin.

Visit Wired

Looking for paper inspiration? Visit Ursula Achten’s Papierwelt blog. A paper artist herself, her blog follows her creative process and works-in-progress. Lots of eye-candy to be found for fans of paper art.

Visit papierwelt

Artist Annette Meyer finds her inspiration in the meeting between consumer society and the human body. She is internationally acclaimed for her exhibitions of disposable clothing made out of wrapping materials from around the world.

The series of Paper Dresses that caught my eye showcase classic fashion cuts throughout history, from the 1800’s to the 1990’s. You can date some of the dresses just from the style. All are made from the same floral patterned paper based on prints from Flora Danica porcelain motifs. You can spot the 1950’s styles between the 40’s & 60’s - fashion really changed quite a bit in those decades.

Via designersblock
Visit www.annettemeyer.com

I posted Frucci designs before, here’s a new item, a wall piece that at first glance looks larger than life, but is actually only 4″ x 6″ - about the size of a postcard. The folding technique is the same as the Frucci broach and jewelry pieces, and I would love to see this done oversize. You can purchase work at Frucci’s etsy site.

My previous Frucci Frucci at post

Frucci Paper Jewelry

More at flickr
Frucci at etsy