Taking Shape

The experimentation with making paper continues into 2026, as I am developing two new projects to add to my body of artwork centered on themes of collecting and natural history: Reliquaries and Keepsakes. For both series, I am in the early stages of trial and error, working towards more experience with casting objects in paper. Throughout the next half year, I hope to narrow down fiber sources, materials, techniques, colors and any added elements.

Reliquaries will consist of paper forms based on natural artifacts I have collected over several decades. Where possible, I will paper cast specimens such as skulls, antlers, and bones, and shift to handmade paper forms for more delicate objects like nests and insects. I will adorn them with embroidery and collage inspired by the ornamentation of historical reliquaries.

Keepsakes, involves paper casts of collectibles referenced in responses gathered through my participatory piece I Collect. Over three installments of I Collect in 2024–25, I gathered over 500 responses to the questions “What do you collect?” and “Why do you collect it?” The answers ranged widely, including books, agates, cameras, and snow globes.