Flow - Rolled Paper Art by Amy Genser
The magnitude of a site-specific rolled paper installation, Flow, that artist Amy Genser recently completed is outstanding, and it is located right here in northern Delaware.
A bonus is that Flow can be seen from outside the building... the colors coordinate perfectly with its exterior. I'm looking forward to visiting in person - the expansion will officially open in October, but on Saturday, September 20, the public is invited to tour it during Nemours Community Day.
Amy and a group of assistants assembled Flow in four sections, working in her Hartford, Connecticut studio - you can imagine the number of hours spent at floor level! She transported the sections to the hospital, supervised the week-long installation, and lastly filled in additional coils where needed.
In case you missed my earlier post about Amy, you might like to read this description of her creative process.
I usually work with Thai Unryu [mulberry paper] but I have hundreds of papers in my studio from all around the world. I treat the paper almost as a pigment, layering colors one on top of the other to create different colors. My pieces are about a foot wide. Then I roll one layer on top of the other in all different thicknesses. I seal the roll with acid-free, archival glue stick, and then cut the long piece into sections with scissors or pruning shears. I have pruning shears of all different sizes to accommodate different widths.
The rolling and cutting process is actually pretty quick. At this point I could pretty much do it in my sleep. It's the composition/editing process that usually takes the longest. I paint my surface, either canvas or paper first, with acrylic and a lot of gel medium. Then I place my paper pieces on top and manipulate them until I have a satisfactory composition. It's like putting a puzzle together, only I don't know the final picture until I see it. I roll my pieces accordingly as I develop and build the piece. It's a back-and-forth process. The paper and the piece lay on different tables in my studio. I attach the paper onto the canvas with PVA once I have the pieces where I want them.
Above is a close-up of Amy's typical coils as seen on her new website. She is also on Instagram and Facebook where you can view more photos of Flow's construction and installation.
The 45 x 10 foot mural - the largest piece Amy has created to date - hangs in a brand new wing of the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. Undoubtedly, stressed families will be drawn to the soothing cool colors, graceful curve, and textured surface.
Amy and a group of assistants assembled Flow in four sections, working in her Hartford, Connecticut studio - you can imagine the number of hours spent at floor level! She transported the sections to the hospital, supervised the week-long installation, and lastly filled in additional coils where needed.
In case you missed my earlier post about Amy, you might like to read this description of her creative process.
I usually work with Thai Unryu [mulberry paper] but I have hundreds of papers in my studio from all around the world. I treat the paper almost as a pigment, layering colors one on top of the other to create different colors. My pieces are about a foot wide. Then I roll one layer on top of the other in all different thicknesses. I seal the roll with acid-free, archival glue stick, and then cut the long piece into sections with scissors or pruning shears. I have pruning shears of all different sizes to accommodate different widths.
The rolling and cutting process is actually pretty quick. At this point I could pretty much do it in my sleep. It's the composition/editing process that usually takes the longest. I paint my surface, either canvas or paper first, with acrylic and a lot of gel medium. Then I place my paper pieces on top and manipulate them until I have a satisfactory composition. It's like putting a puzzle together, only I don't know the final picture until I see it. I roll my pieces accordingly as I develop and build the piece. It's a back-and-forth process. The paper and the piece lay on different tables in my studio. I attach the paper onto the canvas with PVA once I have the pieces where I want them.
Above is a close-up of Amy's typical coils as seen on her new website. She is also on Instagram and Facebook where you can view more photos of Flow's construction and installation.
