I began the process of creating my newest 3-dimensional wall art, “Boxed In’, on December 9th. Similar to the piece “Sculptural Elements”, I am using many of the same elements. Those being origami butterflies, my dyed and pleated vintage napkins. In this piece, I’m also incorporating reeds, which are positioned so that another layer of shadows adds 3-dimensional depth.

https://maijazemitis.com/sculptural-elements/

For a background, I have chosen a sheet of hand made paper, in white.

After trying out a dozen different placements of the wall art elements, I eventually returned back to the first composition, with slight variations. Although I normally enjoy organic shapes, which includes circular placements, this piece asked for a more rigid, straight line setting. The circular shape will come from the slim reeds and possibly amber or metal beads.

It’s almost finished! I’m still moving around the reeds for the composition of the final piece. The last part will be to make a shadow box. I’d like to make one with plexiglass sides, but since I’ve never made one before, I’m a little hesitant to do this.

Finished, January 10th! The reeds have been added as well as more Butterflies on the reeds. This gives a more 3-dimensional effect, even more so when shadows are present!

While I followed several online videos on how to make a plexiglass box, for now I have put that to the future. My ever gracious husband built a box for me from wood, which I painted white.

Artist Statement

Butterflies are the subject in my newest body of work. They are a symbol of transformation and new beginnings. They are also regarded as spiritual messengers offering guidance and wisdom.

By placing my mini Butterfly environments within shadowboxes, there automatically is an interaction between light, surface and depth. space and shadows.

My preferred processes include designing vintage linens with surface design techniques. These include: natural dyes, eco-prints, and shibori.

Fabric manipulation such as origami, pleating and smocking provide a further sense of depth.