Custom Pieces for a Good Cause

I was asked to create two custom pieces for an event called "The Designer Show house."  This event is a fundraiser for a non-profit organization called Eastern Kansas Child Care Aware, and their mission is to support the development and learning of young children by offering programs and services that improve the quality and accessibility of child care for working families.

I was told that I would need to create a piece for an 18 year old high school student with interests in Bohemian Chic style, turquoise blues, grays, and coral colors and with a particular interest in Sun and Moon features.

So I took off:

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Step 1: Selecting color palette for next piece! #paperfigments #paperfigs #paper #color

A photo posted by Shelby E. Andre (@paperfigs) on Mar 12, 2016 at 11:46am PST

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For me, sometimes the hardest part is in selecting the colors to use for a piece.  These colors will be the first thing that someone sees and will cause that visual impact that artists strive for in their creations. 

Then, slowly and surely the piece starts forming:

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Sneak peak into my next #paper piece! #paperfigments #paperfigs #handmade

A photo posted by Shelby E. Andre (@paperfigs) on Mar 14, 2016 at 5:00pm PDT

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Once I start, that's when it really sets off for me as an artist.  I start seeing how the piece is going to lay out, where the different colors should be placed in relation to its neighbor, and the overall mood that starts developing.  As I see it forming, I get excited and newly inspired.  This is how I know that creating art is truly a passion for me.

From my last post, you can see my process and how it unfolds in the video I uploaded.  It's literally laying each piece down, one by one. until they all come together to create the completed design:

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Paper tears for days with this one! Love love love the way this one is turning out and can't wait to finish #paperfigments #paperfigs #paper #handmade #custompiece

A photo posted by Shelby E. Andre (@paperfigs) on Mar 18, 2016 at 5:14pm PDT

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I had so much fun creating the Sunscape Image that I wanted to create another to stand beside it:

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Now onto the second #papermate. #paperfigments #paperfigs #paper #handmade #custompiece #moonscape

A photo posted by Shelby E. Andre (@paperfigs) on Mar 19, 2016 at 4:05pm PDT

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 I feel that both the pieces "Sunscape" and "Moonscape" turned out exactly as I wanted.  I may not have necessarily known that's how they would ultimately look, but I couldn't be happier with the final result.  This is why I love working with paper.  I will have an idea, but the paper and their colors, textures and how they interact with one another on the canvas, will often times dictate how the piece will end up.  It's all a journey - one that starts with a vision and ends with a passion.

Happy Papering!

P.S. - Prints for Sunscape and Moonscape are available in my Gallery under the Prints section.