Sculptures of Native American
scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty
Eckman
These
stunningly detailed sculptures may only be
made from paper - but they are being snapped
up by art fans for tens of thousands of
pounds. 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
pieces depict traditional scenes from Native
American history of Cherokees hunting and
dancing
The
most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge
Powwow which sold for £47,000
Allen
said: "We create Indians partly because
my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and
my family on both sides admire the native
Americans...
...I
work on the men and animals and Patty does the
women and children" explains Allen
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"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. From the
western expansion, through the Civil War
and beyond is of great interest to me."
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Allen
explained their technique: "It should not
be confused with papier mache. The two mediums
are completely different. I call what we do
'cast paper sculpture'"
..."Some
of them we create are lifesize and some we
scale down to 1/6 lifesize"
"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.
"We
have really enjoyed the development of our
fine art techniques over the years and have
created a process that is worth sharing. There
are many artists and sculptors who we believe
will enjoy this medium as much as we
have."
An
Indian mother holding her baby is a favourite
of many clients
IN GOD WE TRUST!
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