Paper Artist Peter Dahmen
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart”
~ William Wordsworth
You might have noticed from my recent posts that I seem to have become slightly obsessed with all things paper.
It is partly a symptom of the way in which information comes to us these days. Anything viewed online links seamlessly to other related material. This is both useful and scary.
It has, however, presented me with yet another form of paper creativity – the magic of pop-up art.
Ingenious, incredible and imaginative, Matthew Reinhart has produced numerous pop-up books for children. In this short video, you can see some of his amazing work, along with a commentary on how he achieves it. We also receive a valuable life lesson: that the impossible is indeed possible if we do not let perceived boundaries hold us back.
Peter Dahmen creates stunning geometric and organic designs, as you will see in this next video. I love how his passion for his craft shines through as he talks about his creations. And he also gives us an essential life lesson: don’t give up. Push through the ‘ugly’ to reach the beautiful.
These artists exemplify the joy of creativity. Producing something miraculous out of something so simple, not for any utility, but for the sheer delight of the experience.
May all your creative endeavours, whatever form they may take, bring you the same blissful pleasure. 🙂
“A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner—continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you—is a fine art, in and of itself.”
~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
I love your creative energy and intensity, Liz! A brilliant way to embrace life!!!
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Thank you so much Becky – what lovely words. Sending many hugs 😀💕
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I love to see examples of the range of way people create–these paper examples are great! Do you know Peter Callesen’s work? http://www.petercallesen.com
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Oh wow, thanks for that link – his work is amazing. So many highly talented people around – such an inspiration 🙂
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I enjoyed this so much, Liz! I used to do a lot of paper craft years ago and this brought so many memories back.
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That’s brilliant, I am so pleased! 🙂
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I shall show this to my daughter, she loves origami and for years the house was literally littered with her creations for years. The older she’s got the smaller they have, her challenge now being to create the tiniest animals she can, and my challenge to try to avoid hoovering them up.
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Ah, that eternal battle between creativity and efficiency!!! I love the sound of your daughter’s work – would be great to see it some time… 🙂
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Extraordinary, and wonderfully creative. Did you know that Hans Christian Andersen was a paper addict? http://hca.museum.odense.dk/klip/billedstart.asp?language=en
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That’s fantastic, thanks so much for sharing that link. I can feel another post in my ‘paper series’ coming on….! 🙂
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Such a wonderful post, Liz; you find such unusual and inspiring subjects 🙂 I love the videos but also your perfectly chosen quotes, and indeed your own creative words. Creativity born of creativity!
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Thank you Sandra – I really appreciate this 🙂
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Wow I’ve never been able to do stuff like that ! Congrats
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Thank you – you would be surprised how straightforward it is once you get into it. Perhaps you could consider some form of origami cake lol! 🙂
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Great idea maybe I’ll try it sometime!
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