Striped Paper Sculptures - David Dunleavy

Take a look at these striped paper shadow boxes created by David Dunleavy of Apart From This. Each one is different, yet equally striking in its colorful stacks of tidy neatness. There must be more than a million ways to arrange the colors of the rainbow: as wide stripes, narrow stripes, bold and bright, subdued pinstripes; David seems happy to try them all.

Equality: Ernie and Bert

I spotted his work on Instagram and enjoyed scrolling through the many photos he shares, mostly of art pieces with an occasional pic of his cute toddler interspersed throughout. Always interesting, David often explains why he has chosen to work with a particular color scheme. I asked him to tell us a bit about himself and his start in making these eye-catchingly repetitive works.

Ireland vs. Wales

"Sadly we lost to a deserving Welsh side. A 5.5" square with over 700 pieces of hand cut paper."

I'm originally from Galway, Ireland and have been in the US since 2003. I now live in Los Angeles where I've been experimenting with cut-paper pieces for about 18 months. I stumbled on the assembly format after failing in my efforts to create a collage!

Sunny Day

"This is a 5.5" square assembled using over 700 strips of hand-cut paper."

I'm a mechanical engineer by training and currently work for a medical device start-up developing a device to treat rheumatoid arthritis. I was diagnosed with RA back in 2005 and have struggled from time to time with the disease. When my RA prevents me from doing triathlons I focus on my art. Gratefully I'm healthy at the moment so I'm dividing my time between my wife and young daughter, my art and my training!

David explained his process: From start to finish, a box takes 7-8 hours. Framing is the least fun job. That's probably another hour. For the more complex ones where there are thousands of pieces it can be days. Some, even weeks. As to the actual assembly, the paper is inset but that's all I can say. :) The HOW is top secret!

Big Green

"Sneak peak of a large green and pink piece with multiple squares."

I definitely welcome commissions and have been fortunate to have clients in the US, Middle East, Europe, Africa and Australia. If people are interested they can contact me, share their palette and we can decide on the particulars of their design.

American Campaign Ribbon

"For those who served in the armed forces in the American theater area during World War II."

Choosing a meaningful color combo sounds like a fun challenge to me. Go with your personal favorites, coordinate a room's decor, perhaps think of something in nature like these bee-colored stripes...