Paper's boundless imagination
- Michael is inspired by speculative architecture, among other influences
- He uses heavyweight paper to create dimensional reliefs and sculptures
- His has featured in solo exhibitions at David Shelton Gallery and Duane Reed Gallery
When Michael Velliquette worked with coloured cardstock over two decades ago, he did not immediately envision a formal path in paper art. "It was primarily an experimental medium for me,” he explains. "As I started exploring the material and learning about the craft’s centuries-old global tradition, my focus on paper’s intrinsic qualities became much more deliberate." Michael’s evolution as an artist and maker coincided with a broader renaissance of paper-based art in the USA, along with a growing availability of specialised tools and paper stocks. His intricate, 3D reliefs and sculptures have appeared in major international exhibitions and in prominent public and private collections. Michael is also a member of the Guild of American Papercutters and the Paper Artist Collective, and currently serves as a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
I made purely abstract, ornamental mandala forms using neutral-coloured paper. With each new piece, I would discover a new approach or technique for constructing a component, which then became the starting point for the next work.
There was a shift in my practice when I began taking a Buddhist-focused meditation class in 2015. Up until then, I had been using paper to illustrate ideas pictorially. The spiritual work set me on a different path, using the material itself to access a state of conscious awareness more directly through the act of making.
In my early works, I resisted the use of certain tools, such as paper punches, preferring to cut every element by hand. Over time, I discovered items such as the Japanese hole punch, which transformed the look and feel of my work. Ultimately, I have embraced tools that make the work appear more precise. It is all part of the evolution of the process.
I find that new work is inspired by the work that precedes it. I also draw from many spheres of influence, including speculative and imaginary architecture, Modernist sculpture, paper art traditions, Art Brut, as well as in the intersection of art and spirituality.
