In this year-long project, I more fully merged my art with the frames that it is displayed in. In the past, I created paper-based art on a wooden base and then enclosed the base with wood strips to create a shadow box. This is precise and creates art that is easy to hang and to group. However, working with wood is not working with paper, and I began to wonder if I could also cast my frames from paper to integrate them more fully with the art.
Because of the large amount of pulp needed, I decided to use my paper making stamp mill and to work with raw plant materials for the frames (see Projects for 2021). The different plant materials in conjunction with how they were processed and dried are responsible for the color, texture, shrinkage, and distortion of the individual frames. I got better as I went along. The last step is to glue the cast frame to a square of hardboard for hanging and stability.
Some of the ‘art’ is inserted into the frames in the form of collages and, in others, the ‘art’ was cast as part of the frame and then decorated. My subject matter has many influences and I generally describe my art as whimsical and macabre.
All these pieces are about 11.5 x 11.5 x 0.75 inches, having been cast at 12 x 12 x 1.5 inches and then shrinking during pressing and drying. Most of the papers are single color, but a few involve multiple pours of several colors.
brucebuntingart 