The limitless potential of paper
- Nicola enjoys using paper in new and traditional ways
- She loves to release paper from its two-dimensional form
- Her creations are colouful and detailed
“Working with paper came so naturally to me,” says Nicola Dobrowolski. “When I look at a piece of paper it’s never a flat piece of paper that I see. It’s an opportunity. It’s the beginning of something wonderful. I have innately collected and respected paper from a young age. Respecting and valuing good paper is clearly something that has been passed down through the generations within our family, from my grandfather, who was a Polish artist and worked with paper in a sculptural form commercially in the advertising industry, to my mother, to me and now to my son.” Nicola learnt the wonderful skill of model making during her training as a Theatre Designer. “This is where I was introduced to my scalpel,” she recalls. “The possibilities of paper in both its two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms truly became apparent to me there.”
Interview
- When did you approach paper sculpting?
- When I left the theatre industry, after my son was born. I realised I was missing the all-absorbing process of working to a brief. This creative journey is where I thrive, and using the medium of paper to go on this journey was instinctive.
- How did you actually start?
- I set myself the task of creating miniature artworks during my son’s sporadic nap time. Now my business has grown to a full time job, creating unique artworks for high-end jewellers' window displays, book covers, commercial advertising, and personal commissioned artworks.
- How would you define your work?
- I was once described as a 2.5-dimensional paper artist. Not quite 2D but not 3D, and I truly relate to this description. Creating these artworks either in a box frame or in a cloche means that I can create wonderful depth of field. I can light them from within and cast beautiful shadows.
- What do you love most about your craft?
- What I love most is that I am presented with a new challenge with every job. I really don’t enjoy creating the same thing twice, there isn’t enough to learn from doing exactly the same creative journey time and again, so I try to avoid this as much as possible.
Nicola Dobrowolski is a master artisan: she began her career in 2008 and she started teaching in 2018
Works
Where
Nicola Dobrowolski
