One of the latest paper artists that amazed us with their skills is Matthew Shlia. This paper engineer combines his love for geometrics and tessellation with his talent for art in order to create intriguing spiked sculptures out of paper.
Shlia began working on a concept for his sculptures when he was an undergrad. After majoring in ceramics and print media, he started experimenting with paper folding, using different varieties of paper and combining multiple techniques until he got things right.
“My process is extremely varied from piece to piece,” he explains on his website. “Often I start without a clear goal in mind, working within a series of limitations. For example, on one piece I’ll only use curved folds or make my lines this length or that angle, etc. Other times I begin with an idea for movement and try to achieve that shape or form somehow. Along the way, something usually goes wrong, and a mistake becomes more interesting than the original idea, and I work with that instead. I’d say my starting point is curiosity; I have to make the work in order to understand it. If I can completely visualize my final result I have no reason to make it- I need to be surprised. “
When he was starting with his spiked paper sculptures, Shlia was working almost exclusively with white and gray paper. Now he started doing more colorful pieces, which brought a whole new dimension to his artworks.
Check out some of his pieces below.
