Artist Statement

I am a self-taught visual artist building three-dimensional paper landscapes that are memorials to loved ones, places, and experiences. My process uses recycled materials and a distinctive technique that requires thousands of repetitive motions. Each landscape rewards viewers from any vantage point, standing far away or examining up close, from the left or the right. They interact with light and shadow revealing depth in varying shades of brown and white. I take pride in each landscape’s imperfections, the mashed boxes and slightly warped lines, that ring true to the imperfections of memories. Each landscape is a story, and my stories start with the Cuyahoga Valley, my home.

I work with quotidian, found materials that would typically be discarded or overlooked. I prefer the predictability and simplicity of these industrially-produced materials: paper bags, leftover funeral prayer cards, misprinted wedding invitations. I collect these materials as I live. Hoping for a double bag during a grocery run. Purchasing books and mementos while visiting new places. Taking out meals marking a first or last with someone, a celebration, or a hard day. Gathering stacks of bags saved by friends or family. Finding discarded bags in the trash room of my building. I am happy to work with most paper and am open to commissions using material that is significant to the requestor. 

I start with used paper bags. Some have grease stains or tears. My cat sometimes rests on a pile. Many have been in a container under my bed for years. I remove the handles, cut along the seams, flatten the bag into a broad sheet. I divide a bag into hundreds of squares or hundreds of thin strips. I cut and fold squares, glue them into boxes. Strips are layered and glued into thin rows. I repeat the process. Sometimes I intersperse other paper materials. When thousands of boxes or thousands of strips of paper are arranged together, a landscape forms. My artwork miniaturizes landscapes according to their exact natural proportions referencing topographic maps. Each piece translates mountains, riverbeds, and plains into mounds of paper. Yet each landscape becomes a commemoration consisting of materials gathered over time; materials that originated in a specific experience in life and a continual return to a place in memories. A landscape contains a complete spectrum of mundane to profound.

I appreciate you being here, and I hope we can work together. In addition to currently available pieces for purchase, I enjoy working on a commission basis. It is a process of sharing, and I welcome using your paper materials and creating a landscape with you. Inquire about pieces and commissions at dannyarnoldart@gmail.com.