Thursday, June 16, 2011

Papier Fantasy


I don’t know about you lot, but when I hear the words ‘papier mache’ my mind instantly conjures up images of wallpaper paste and messy primary school children. Of course I’m aware that in the right hands it can be put to much more creative use than glittery Hallowe’en masks and pencil cup holders, but I certainly never imagined it could look as beautiful as this:



These whimsical wonders are the creations of  a young French lady by the name of Laetitia Miéral - paper artist, fairytale fan and daydreamer. Mademoiselle Miéral is the girl who never grew up, and thank the Light for it. In her own words:

“Ever since I was a child I have been  drawing, painting and creating the characters from my dreams and imagination. I grew up with the fairy tales of Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Lewis Carroll, Perrault  and Mme d'Aulnoy. I work with paper, a never ending inspiration for me. I create carrousels, mobiles, grimoires, sculptures, marionettes, paper dresses, doll houses…”
 
“…I made my first marionettes in papier mache  when I was seventeen and fourteen years later I am still making my paper dreams come true…”


“…I'm inspired by the 18th century, the baroque era, horror films, botany, operas, illustrators of the 19th such as Gustave Doré, Arthur Rackham, and also  Fussli, Bosch, Brueghel.”




Ms Miéral’s work is on display at La Maison du Roy in Paris, though those of us not lucky enough to be able to pop in for a nosy can check it out on her website. And if you’d really like to treat yourself it’s also for sale online here.  
 

11 comments:

Romantic Heroine said...

those pictures are amazing. thank you for sharing.
At college, we will have different workshops next week and one is to create costumes made of paper. I won't take part in it cause we were only allowed to sign up for one workshop and I choosed meditation. ^^

Lady Godiva said...

These are gorgeous and simply enchanting. My favorite is the 18th century-looking bunny rabbit.

Thanks for sharing this lovely artist. :)

Della said...

Wow, I've gone to look at the site and her work is just staggering. How lucky for her to be able to live out dreams that way. Thanks for sharing, Roisin.

Heathen said...

This is amazing work! I can't believe she does all this with paper!

Such a Wondrous Place this Faery Space said...

Hi magic friend... this brings light and joy! You are wonderful! Thanks for being you. Blessings.

Kathy said...

Oooh. Love that Red Riding Hood wolf. These are stunning. Paper Mache. Who would've guessed. Fabulousness. - Kathy

Anthropomorphica said...

I adore her work Roisin,so glad you've shared it. It's childhood remembrances of fairytales come to life, albeit in paper!

Lynn said...

These are just beautiful, Roisin! Thanks for sharing these images and introducing (for those like myself who weren't familiar with Ms. Mieral's work) us to a fantastic artist.

Jeanne said...

Incredible! Looking at these enchanting pieces is like actually being in the Faery Tale!!!
Wonderful find! And Thank You so much for sharing it with us!!! :0)

Laura {Gypsea Tree} said...

These are really wonderful! I was just reminiscing about a life-sized paper mache goose that I created when I was ten. We kept her around for ages and I'm wondering if my mom still has her stashed away somewhere....

Thanks for the comments! You are right: I think the move has definitely made me restless in other ways. By nature I have a difficult time settling in one place and I'm always anxious to head off in some new direction or another... I love visiting here too and miss you when you are away. It seems this year in general has been fairly quiet on the blog front everywhere. It feels so nice to be back!

eimear brennan said...

oh my god, coool! thanks for posting this, can't wait to have a proper look, this artwork is incredible! i just happened to have a look at the body and soul festival website co. westmeath, there were some amazing paper type sculptures there too that you might like. hope you're well!

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