Abstract Paper Mosaics - Noirin van de Berg

Jaw dropping, mind blowing, amazeballs... these are just a few of the exclamations expressed by those who have found their way to the Instagram feed of Australian artist Noirin van de Berg [no longer an active account].

If you think you've seen it all when it comes to the amount of patience a person can have when creating art, think again. Noirin, who lives in Melbourne, creates dramatic mosaics composed of tens of thousands of perfectly placed paper snips.

Her short list of necessities includes paper, paper cutter, scissors and double-sided adhesive. Each paper shape is individually glued down. Undulating lines may seem random at first glance, but a closer look reveals careful paths that create depth.

I asked Noirin how she happened to begin working with paper:

I started working with paper a) because it was so simple and didn't create a huge amount of mess, and b) I was drawn to the sharp, clean edges. I had trialed creating similar designs with paint, but couldn't get the effect I was looking for. Once I started using paper, I realised how much potential there was to create different patterns, shapes and colours; paper is so flexible, and you can pretty much cut, mould, and twist it into any shape you want. 

Did you study art in school or are you self-taught?

I studied Fine Arts - for just two years (with a major in Photo-media), then transferred into a Bachelor of Liberal Arts (arts: humanities, not visual arts), so I can't claim any formal qualifications in visual art, but it has certainly been a lifelong hobby of mine.

Your style is unique and appealing.... how did it come about?

It comes from my obsession with intricate details. Some of my best works in the past have been paintings or drawings - usually black and white/greyscale portraits - in which I would dedicate hours of time into getting each and every detail exact and perfect. I eventually gave up on painting and drawing because I found the process too frustrating (waiting for paint to dry, etc. etc.) 

Noirin says that while her digital mosaics can usually be completed in a couple of hours, the papercut variety can take up to a week of steady work.

She sells original art pieces privately - contact her if you have your eye on something in particular - and will also create a custom design upon request. Noirin recently launched an online shop [edit: not open currently] where gallery quality giclées are available as limited editions.

So 70s!

 And 50s!

See more of Norin's art on Instagram where she is @noirin163 [no longer an active account].