Ensnare Sculpture

In my series of cast paper sculptures with ornamental embroidery, I am exploring natural forms, systems, and patterns, both micro and macro. The texture inherent to the cast paper process, formed from the expansion and contraction of the medium as it wraps around the undulations of the mother mold, captures the ever-evolving nature of the biological forms that inspire my work. The delicacy and ephemeral quality of these amorphic paper forms mimic cell membranes and become the structure for intricate embroidery of criss-crossing geometric patterns. Feminine colors and contours pay homage to matriarchal creation mythology, and the laborious, meticulous nature of needlework references the time and precision of the biological processes that generate life. I hope viewers will be drawn to the fluid forms and detailed patterning, encouraging closer study and contemplation of the beauty of the ordering principles of the natural world. I begin by sculpting a form in clay. I then create a negative plaster mold of that form. I mold sheets of handmade paper from 100% cotton linter around the mold. When the paper dries into a hard shell, I embellish it with embroidery and beading to enhance and exaggerate the feminine contours. Each cast paper form is unique and has an embedded wire in the back for wall hanging.