Calvin Nicholls: Raising Paper to New Heights

Calvin Nicholls - from the Paper Zoo series (click photo for larger image)Contemporary artist Calvin Nicholls has worked for 25 years to perfect his medium of choice…Paper! But he doesn't just draw on it. He shapes it to create intricate works of staggering detail and beauty.

To make his art, Nicholls starts by observing real-life animals and their movements. He makes numerous sketches that he will later use as reference for his paper art. He then cuts up thousands of tiny pieces of paper and pastes them together to form each animal.

The texture he is able to achieve with this technique is astounding. Given that he's only working with white paper, the details must be exactly correct, in order to achieve the appropriate depth and shadowing to under a work believable. It's incredibly delicate work.

Calvin Nicholls - from the Paper Zoo series (click photo for larger image)Each small piece can take many weeks to complete, while the larger ones can take months, or even years.

Nicholls’ work has been featured in National Geographic, as well as in numerous galleries and art shows all over the world.

He uses X-ACTO knives, scalpels, and scissors in the construction of his critters. Fur is an especially difficult texture to create, and feathers are also quite difficult to replicate. So, animals provide a distinct challenge for this amazing artist.

Calvin Nicholls - from the Paper Zoo series (click photo for larger image)“I have been a full time paper sculpture artist since the mid 1980's during which time I have created pieces for advertising campaigns, private collectors, institutions, book publishers, corporate gift companies and galleries. I enjoy white on white due to the emphasis which is placed on texture and form. One of my most extensive collections includes over 75 pieces for Follett Library Resources in McHenry Illinois. My training was in graphic design at Sheridan College in Oakville Ontario and after several years of running my own freelance design studio I made the gradual transition to paper sculpture.”

The works featured here are from a series appropriately titled “Paper Zoo”. To learn more about Calvin Nicholls and to see additional works—visit his website and/or his Facebook page.