Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Calvin Nicholls Continues to Craft Paper Sculptures Inspired by Animal Kingdom

Since the 1980s, Calvin Nicholls has created paper sculptures that blend 2D and 3D processes, cutting and layering paper for works that escape from the canvas. The artist typically focuses his efforts on creatures from the animal kingdom, emulating the forms of nature only using one or two colors and a meticulous process. The artist says he enjoys white on white, in particular, "due to the emphasis which is placed on texture and form."

Since the 1980s, Calvin Nicholls has created paper sculptures that blend 2D and 3D processes, cutting and layering paper for works that escape from the canvas. The artist typically focuses his efforts on creatures from the animal kingdom, emulating the forms of nature only using one or two colors and a meticulous process. The artist says he enjoys white on white, in particular, “due to the emphasis which is placed on texture and form.”

The Canadian artist typically uses scalpels, glue, scissors, and of course, paper to create each of the works. The artist has experimented with multiple colors in certain pieces, but his subtle use of shadow and light remains one of the ever-present characters in his portraits. These tiny bits of paper are used to recreate scales and wispy fur alike.

Nicholls has said this about his early days in experimenting with the form: “It was a matter of time before my lifelong interest in art and wildlife combined. I had just completed a bird of prey with outstretched wings for Noranda Recycled Papers when it struck me how well suited the layering of feathers was to the art of paper sculpture.”


Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Russian paper-cut artist Asya Kozina recently created an ornate array of white wedding dresses inspired by Mongolian folkloric fashion designs. Though they resemble haute couture, the sculptural outfits are made entirely from paper. The St. Petersburg-based artist described the traditional Mongolian garments as "futuristic." Her versions exaggerate their shapes and emphasize their geometric structure by removing the color. Kozina collaborated with photographer Anastasia Andreeva on a shoot featuring models donning her baroque pieces.
Deborah Simon, a Virginia-born, New York-based artist, creates sculptures that explore “the reality of the animal and the vulnerability imbued in toy.” Though her sculptures appear to be taxidermy, series like “Flayed Animals” are made entirely from hand. She uses materials like polymer clay, faux fur, acrylic paint, wire, foam, glass, and embroidery materials to create these animals, mostly focusing on bears.
Both curious and unsettling, Kate Clark’s sculptures blend humanity and beings from the animal kingdom in wholly new creature. Using a mix of actual animal hides, foam, clay, rubber eyes, and other materials, the artist explores both history and our relationship to nature with each piece. The Brooklyn-based sculptor’s works have been featured in venues across the globe.
In his most recent series, paper artist Charles Clary, previously featured on Hi-Fructose, nods to the power of nostalgia by creating over 200 individual VHS slipcase sculptures. The series took over a year to complete and marks a turn towards the personal in Clary’s art. This series is a response to his parents’ deaths and a nostalgia for childhood: “The idea behind the more recent work using retro pop culture from my childhood is of order from chaos, beauty from destruction, and hope for more joyous times.”

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List