Artist Bio
Brittany Otto is a paper artist known for combining layered paper and light into shadow box sculptures that she calls Oneiroframes. Based in Seattle, Washington since 2012, she explored a variety of artistic media by creating dramatic and detailed costumes before finding her passion for paper sculpture. The first piece she ever made in 2016 was a gift for her future husband. Since then, she has further developed her own techniques of cutting and layering paper and light to create her own unique and illustrative voice.
Each piece starts as a pencil and paper sketch. Each line is painstakingly traced and hand cut with a scalpel blade. Her work is influenced by her struggles with mental health and her love of fantasy, mythology, and biology to create transformative, dream-like portals that draw the viewer into expressive worlds that shine brightest when surrounded by darkness.
Artist Statement
Art is my language. Words often fail me, but the images I create allow me to speak clearly about what I feel and to share the worlds and images floating through my mind. I have a ceaseless need to create. Through my struggles with anxiety and depression, I find a sense of grounding through my artistic process of transforming simple materials into something beautiful.
The challenge of turning the hard, cold medium of paper into soft edges and warm lines provides me with an endless series of puzzles. I cut every line by hand, a process as complex as it is organic—a process that makes the art feel timeless and meditative.
The lighting is the capstone that brings a beautiful transformative element to my work. I find it fascinating and liberating to rely on light to imbue my art with life and color. I also occasionally integrate invisible UV painting to further push the transformative theme of my work, as a burst of vibrant color is revealed only under specific wavelengths of light. My work shines brightest when surrounded by darkness. I hope it brings a sense of solace to the viewer and invites them to lose themselves in another world, even if only for a moment.
Brittany Otto is a paper artist known for combining layered paper and light into shadow box sculptures that she calls Oneiroframes. Based in Seattle, Washington since 2012, she explored a variety of artistic media by creating dramatic and detailed costumes before finding her passion for paper sculpture. The first piece she ever made in 2016 was a gift for her future husband. Since then, she has further developed her own techniques of cutting and layering paper and light to create her own unique and illustrative voice.
Each piece starts as a pencil and paper sketch. Each line is painstakingly traced and hand cut with a scalpel blade. Her work is influenced by her struggles with mental health and her love of fantasy, mythology, and biology to create transformative, dream-like portals that draw the viewer into expressive worlds that shine brightest when surrounded by darkness.
Artist Statement
Art is my language. Words often fail me, but the images I create allow me to speak clearly about what I feel and to share the worlds and images floating through my mind. I have a ceaseless need to create. Through my struggles with anxiety and depression, I find a sense of grounding through my artistic process of transforming simple materials into something beautiful.
The challenge of turning the hard, cold medium of paper into soft edges and warm lines provides me with an endless series of puzzles. I cut every line by hand, a process as complex as it is organic—a process that makes the art feel timeless and meditative.
The lighting is the capstone that brings a beautiful transformative element to my work. I find it fascinating and liberating to rely on light to imbue my art with life and color. I also occasionally integrate invisible UV painting to further push the transformative theme of my work, as a burst of vibrant color is revealed only under specific wavelengths of light. My work shines brightest when surrounded by darkness. I hope it brings a sense of solace to the viewer and invites them to lose themselves in another world, even if only for a moment.
