I love handmade paper. I’ve recently been teaching myself calligraphy and so have been dealing with lots of different paper lately as well as other textures that I’m experimenting with. Jane Ponsford – though she does work in other mediums – seems to have found her calling in paper sculptures.
I’ve been pretty hooked on round creations lately too – or those that look cyclical and alive with pattern so Jane’s work certainly fits in! Of her paper she says, “I enjoy using this material because it brings together surface and form. It is evocative, reminiscent of documentation and archives. Staining and tearing easily, it can be seen as the receptive surface for forensic investigation or a blank form to catch light or shadow.”
Usually I find I’m sharing artwork from paper artists who essentially upcycle old paper materials. In this case, it’s pretty cool because for the most part it seems Jane makes the paper anew. Jane is based in London and the South East.
One of my favorite pieces of insight from Jane’s own website is a series of keywords to her approach – I wish every artist did this: respond, trace, collect, accumulate, mark.
One thing I can’t tell from Jane’s CV is if she received a degree anywhere in art. From the looks of it, I can’t tell and so in my mind she’s self-taught, which is all the cooler. I absolutely love the vibrancy of the blue work above.
The paper looks so thick and hand torn up – it reminds me of flower petals though I do believe it’s supposed to create a landscape. In either case, very fun – I love that she takes the time to make her own material.