www.thepaperLADY.COM kATY dEMENT - For my entire life I have been a working artist, organic gardener, and beekeeper. I create handmade paper as a means to an end. Paper art works take the form of: art lighting, shadow box, stationary, books and sculptures all crafted from sustainably collected plants, recycled and invasive fibers.
each piece is a vignette that holds a visual narrative. Through layers of vintage ephemera, photos and bits of cloth, tales are told. When etched images are included the dialogue begins. Toys, natural and found objects punctuate the story. No material is arbitrary; I am influenced by overlooked materials found in my community, my own back yard. Rusty old tools are mashed together with deconstructed plants; this is where I find humor, combining these unlikely fellows. Often my works invite the viewer to playfully interact with the art work through light and kinetic elements that bring the imagery to life.
Throughout my life I have been not only influenced but supported, on this less traveled path, by a creative extended family that includes: gardener, architect, seamstress, quilter, potter, writer, and photographer. Although I did study Art History, psychology and costume design, I learned much more on the bus and in the park. Observation, deconstruction, collection and categorization of found materials reveal clues into their histories that lead to reuse.
each piece is a vignette that holds a visual narrative. Through layers of vintage ephemera, photos and bits of cloth, tales are told. When etched images are included the dialogue begins. Toys, natural and found objects punctuate the story. No material is arbitrary; I am influenced by overlooked materials found in my community, my own back yard. Rusty old tools are mashed together with deconstructed plants; this is where I find humor, combining these unlikely fellows. Often my works invite the viewer to playfully interact with the art work through light and kinetic elements that bring the imagery to life.
Throughout my life I have been not only influenced but supported, on this less traveled path, by a creative extended family that includes: gardener, architect, seamstress, quilter, potter, writer, and photographer. Although I did study Art History, psychology and costume design, I learned much more on the bus and in the park. Observation, deconstruction, collection and categorization of found materials reveal clues into their histories that lead to reuse.
