Elegant 3D Origami Art from Kelli Nyman

In the Artist Spotlight is Kelli Nyman, creator of 3D origami wall art and owner of Kaleidowall [2024 renamed to kellinyman.com] which is a fitting moniker for a business that derives its name from two Greek words - kalos (beautiful) and eidos (shape), plus wall.

 

 

Kelli says she has always been drawn to art, design, and creating, and that she has a certain fondness for paper. She not only appreciates it in its untouched form, but especially loves the potential it holds... its beauty can be increased when manipulated.

 

 

Not quite six years ago, Kelli became attracted to the possibilities of folding paper into origami pyramids. She recognized that she could put her personal aesthetic stamp on stylish wall art of all sizes. However, it was just this past September that she took the plunge and left her job in digital advertising to focus on paper art full-time. She had long dreamed of opening an Etsy shop and, in fact, had studied design and merchandising in college in preparation of one day becoming a business owner.

 

While Kelli is far from alone in enjoying 3D origami, her design sense sets her art apart. Clients are charmed by subtle color palettes and organic, free-flowing shapes that exude simple elegance. She has been commissioned to construct large-scale works for home, office, and public spaces.

Kelli created this abstract representation of the Capitol Rotunda that hangs in the Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C. in its immense ballroom corridor. Each panel measures 40 x 40 inches. Here she is photographing it... what a thrill it must have been to see exactly where it is displayed!

 

 

The underlying canvases onto which she attaches modular pyramids can vary... sometimes black paint, kraft paper, or natural linen. Generally, the compositions that are listed in the Kaleidowall Etsy shop [not currently stocked] have a two-inch depth. Kelli is currently experimenting with creating small pieces on wood panels or stretched canvases that won't require framing. 

Designing perfect packaging and hand-built shipping boxes was of utmost importance to Kelli who enlisted the help of her engineer husband. Each art piece must arrive in pristine condition with no crushed pyramids. 

 

 

 

I asked Kelli what's on Kaleidowall's horizon and she replied that she will be launching an online shop by the end of March that will include new spring-themed work. Also, in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she lives, she will have work included in the Inman Square Incubator during the month of April as part of the Homeslice Shop Pop Up.

 

 

I'm excited to see where Kelli's work will take her next. Visit kellinyman.com and follow along on Instagram.