Friday, September 10, 2010

Native American Paper Sculptures

My mum actually put me onto this couple who make these Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper.

The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper.

Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds and pressurise it to remove the water. The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishings with a wide range of tools.

They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota, America, and have racked up a whopping £3 million selling the works of art. The most expensive piece is the one above called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for £47,000

Allen said, "I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of our nation's history I find fascinating."

These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited detailed animals with no ears, tails or hair.

We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft and hard paper we make in various thicknesses and textures....