THSwensonArtStudio.com
PAPER MACHE
POLITICAL SATIRE
POLITICAL SATIRE
POLITICAL SATIRE
About the work…
I love paper mache.
While it can be a tricky medium to get used to (aren’t they all?) it has a plasticity that originally attracted me to both oil clay and stoneware, but without the mold making or kiln firing and my back does appreciate the lighter weight. And I enjoy the speed at which
I can work and relatively green-friendly
For details about the long history of paper mache, plenty of info is on the net.
The name translates as “chewed paper” from 18th century France—though it was invented in China many centuries earlier.
I want the sculpture to be fairly rugged-so bases are made from wood and cardboard
covered with paper mache, the figures have armatures made from wood, wire & cardboard . Newspapers add form, strips of paper dipped in non-toxic art paste add layers of definition and character. Acrylic paint and the occasional digitally created detail (via Illustrator & Photoshop) finish the piece. Planning & spontaneity coexist.
materials I use: recycled newspapers, bits of wire, paper towels, wood scraps & cardboard boxes. The alchemy of creativity…newsmakers from newspapers.
All images/artworks copyright Timothy H. Swenson 2018