Paper in a world of art! Helen Musselwhite’s work

Helen Musselwhite, an artist from UK, creates an entire landscape of forest, trees and wild animals, combining a number of techniques that value the paper as a very interesting base material. She goes from paper-cutting, passing troughs paper folding and collage. Her 3-dimensional works can take you to an authentic magical fairyland, were each paper sculpture and collage is hand made from various paper stock and then built together in layers, creating a beautiful artwork. Fro her studio in the North West of the U.K, she creates each piece with her own hands and participates in projects worldwide and with brands and personalities, such as Stella McCartney, Nokia or Cadburys.

See more about Hellen’s work at www.helenmusselwhite.com

Paper in a world of art! Karen Bit Vejle’s work

“My heart and soul are at peace when I have my scissors in hand and the paper dances between the blades” ... These are the words of Karen Bit Vejle, a Norwegian artist who creates images out of air and paper. With her scissors, Karen preforms her art, starting from a large and continuous piece of paper and ending in a extraordinary contemplation object. This is called psaligraphy and it means literally the art of drawing or painting with scissors.

There are not so many people dedicated to this art and, in Europe, Karen is one of the few. Her exceptional technique and detailed drawings are the result of a strong love and almost 35 years of dedication, as well as a high and unique creativity. One of the characteristics of papercutting is that it is a slow art, patience and relaxing activity, contradicting almost everything else in todays world.

Find more about this art and follow Karen’s work at www.papercutart.no

Do your own Origami!

In the early beginnings, Origami art was used as a greeting card for, as an example, a valuable gift. Nowadays you can do the same and fold your best paper with love and art and offer it or simply use it for decoration.

Origami follows 3 simple rules that you must use in your first origami experience. When you crease your paper, be sure to flatted quite well for a successful model, unless of course the instructions tell you otherwise. You can reinforce a crease by running the side of your thumbnail along the fold, or even use some sort of tool.
The instructions are very important so you should follow them, read each description very carefully, and look at each detail of the picture.

Be patient, look at Origami as a contemplative and relaxing activity. If you are just learning how to make origami, try not to rush through the instructions and give yourself time to work it out threw the process.

To start your Origami you can take a quick look at the website www.origami-fun.com and easily learn how to make a bird, a flower or even a heart.

Enjoy your self with the all possibilities of paper!

Do you know what Origami means?

Origami is the art of folding paper and it was invented in China in 105 A.D. We also know that paper was brought to Japan during the 6th Century and that at this time, it was a very expensive material and not available to the general public. This made the practice of paper folding not a hobby available for the general public and used as greeting cards for a valuable gifts or, for example, used to make a certificate of authenticity.

Depending on the occasion, it symbolized sincerity and purity or good fortune. In our days, Origami as evolved to a kind of art spread all around the world, and definitely an hobby to some! There are millions os people practicing this art and it can be used in our days for a x number of ends. You can offer an origami, you can use it for decoration, therapy, work, the amount of paper that you have with you is the limit!

Recycle the sheet in your office, give them new forms and stories to tell. To preserve its History, nurture its growth and share this art, Origami USA was born, and has already gathered over 1600 members aroud the world. The non-for-profit organization, puts its efforts together for educational and cultural objectives. Give it a look at www.origami-usa.org.