Artist Spotlight: Paper Engineer Florencia Alba

Perhaps you're like me... you've come across a store window that's decorated with paper props and you smile while whipping out your phone to snap a picture. If you can relate to this, do I have a treat for you! Have a look at the the colorful paper art created by Florencia Alba in Canada who thoroughly enjoys her job as a paper engineer.

four 3D paper art ice cream cones hang in store window

Flor studied Innovation and Design Engineering with a specialty in Product Engineering at Universidad Panamericana in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Paper has been her medium of choice since graduation six years ago and she is enthusiastic about all that can be done to transform it.

3D paper art fruit slices hung as store window display

Flor began her paper art business in Mexico, then moved to Toronto, Canada where she has been sought after by shop and gallery owners to create displays, and recently relocated to Ottawa where she is once again building a clientele.

bouquet of three hand sculpted paper tulips

Flor is excited for this new challenge and is pleased that she has just been hired to create her first window display in her new city. She looks forward to expanding the business by making props for editorial shoots.

"I've worked with a wide range of clients - nightclubs, music festivals, malls, many kinds of shops, photographers, event planners, cosmetic brands, and tech companies."

colorful, vertically hung paper tubes on display in clothing store window

A paper tube sunset reminds Flor of Aguascalientes where she grew up as it is known for having the most beautiful sunsets, not only in Mexico but the world.

Flor often uses a Cameo digital cutter, although most of her projects are a combination of cutting by hand and digital cutting.

"A fun fact is that I actually don’t love the cutting part as most people would think. Instead, my favourite part is putting together the pieces. That’s when the magic happens!"

This sun and moon window display was the first time she had worked with cardboard. Florencia recycled boxes provided by the boutique owner and discovered how much she appreciates the raw look.

snow scene store window display features folded paper trees

One thing among many that she learned early on is that installs always wind up taking twice as long as expected!

colorful 3D PAPIER block letters in art gallery window

Last summer Flor was invited to create dimensional letters that spelled out PAPIER against a shiny, tessellated silver paper background to herald a paper art exhibition that took place at the Esperanto Gallery and Studios in Markham, Ontario.