Parth Kothekar: Papercutter of Unlimited Subjects

Born and raised in Gujarat, India, Parth Kothekar found his talent for sketching did not suit the teachings in art school where 3-D was stressed, while his interest was in 2-D art.With time and experimentation, his sketches led to papercutting.

 

 

 

Using only a surgical knife and a single sheet of paper, he found his medium by 2010. Three years later, he would have his first exhibition of 100 pieces! What an impressive amount of production in only 3 years. 

It was at his exhibition at Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad that would provide the recognition he needed to encourage his efforts as an artist and to consider when he was doing as more than a hobby.

 

Kothekar's first attempts at the business of art did bring up some of the pitfalls leading to financial troubles. However, his determination to continue his passion for papercut, meant he worked to make even finer and more intricate works.This dedication to do more and better led to his success.

He also found challenges in working in different sizes. His papercuts range from so small that they fit in a hand to very large. It's not only his size variations, but also his subjects. 

 

 

Kothekar finds challenges in the intricacies of an Escher, East Indian motifs, 3-d works, portraits and, yes, even Harry Potter. (In writing this blog, it was difficult among so many choices to highlight examples of the broad scope of his works.) You can also view his processes in a few videos.

 

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Diana Beltran Herrera: Beautiful Paper Birds

 

As many of you art fans know, birds are a favorite subject of mine. I can't tell you exactly how many birds I've painted and sculpted. There is an artist who also is inspired by their beauty. This artist sculpts them with what I regard as the most available and humblest of materials - paper. Her name is Diana Beltran Herrera, (1987-)

 

 

She grew up in Colombia and makes her home in England where she also received her MFA in art & design. It was while she was researching ordinary materials to use for creating her works that she found paper to be one of the best materials for her birds, flowers, and produce. (This blog features her birds. You can see her other subjects at her website.)

Herrera has exhibited in many parts of the world - Asia, Europe and America. Presently, she's preparing for an exhibit in Singapore. Her clients are also from all over the world. Of course, who doesn't enjoy being able to see a beautifully executed and colorful bird?

Lisa Nilsson: Quilling Tapestries

Artists, who use some of the most available materials to everyone. take paper and glue to an astonishing level. They never cease to intrigue us on how they can do that. An artist who makes us wonder in that way is Lisa Nilsson (1963-)

Nilsson creates with a technique known as "quilling." It's defined as an art form using strips of paper that is rolled into a coil, shaped and manipulated. The coil is then glued. It's been used for many centuries to create a "3-D" of flowers, portraits, and other subjects based on the mastery of of the technique.  (Below is a very simplified example of the technique)

 

The masters, such as Nilsson, have used quilling for so many different subjects as to challenge any belief that there are any limitations to making art with just paper and glue. 

 

 In her interest to work in series, she presently has 5 series or collections of subjects that she also challenges herself. Since it's not possible to cover all 5 in a single blog, this one will be limited to her "Tapis" series.

 

Tapis represents the inspiration she felt in the designs of Persian carpets. Nilsson used her mastery of quilling to create her own wall tapestries. She observed the design elements of a central theme, formal corners and specific borders The process is tedious and takes many months to complete each one. (Sizes vary with the largest ones being 22" x 29") (Below are examples of her finished pieces and close ups of the technique)