Paper Relief Sculpture

This white-on-white bristol paper relief sculpture is inspired by ancient Greek art and its revivals throughout western history. The dress form is derived from those seen in Attic red figure pottery. The body proportions, especially the silhouette of the face, are taken from Hellenistic sculpture and minted coins. The folds of the cloth were created through a wet drapery technique in order to manipulate the thick, rigid bristol paper into the shape and texture of voluminous, flowing cloth as seen in high Renaissance sculpture. The harp design is inspired by 19th and early 20th century instrument design.

The figure of the harpist sits on a ledge that bridges the flat exterior frame of the picture with the dimensional and historical world inside, as if straddling the epochs of history yet extending beyond its borders to live in the present time.