Sculptures of Native American scenes
made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman
These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper - but they are being
snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds. The intricate creations depict
Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper
Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds
and pressurise it to remove the water
The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly
add detailed finishingswith a wide range of tools
They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota ,
America , and have racked up a whopping __ million selling the works of art
The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing
The most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for __7, 000
Allen said: "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was
a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans.
I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children" explains Allen
"I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really
interestedin the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of
our nation's historyI find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the
Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me."
Allen explained their technique: "It should not be confused with papier mache. The two mediums
are completely different. I call what we do 'cast paper sculpture'"
..."Some of them we create are lifesize and some we scale down to 1/6 lifesize"
"These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited
detailed animalswith no ears, tails or hair"
"We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft
and hard paperswe make in various thicknesses and textures.
"We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and
havecreated a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who
we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have."
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