Prepare to be AMAZED!!!

Cast Paper Sculptures of Native American scenes

* by Allen and Patty Eckman *

This is a radical departure from my *normal* blogging. After my cousin

Linda in Modesto forwarded these images to me, I just had to

share them with you.

These incredible art "sculptures" absolutely

take my breath away. I've never seen such beautiful

renderings of the Cherokee so lovingly formed. Hope you enjoy

seeing these amazing pieces as much as I do!!

These stunningly detailed sculptures may be made from mere paper, but they

are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of dollars.

The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months

to make using a specially formulated paper pulp which is inserted

into clay moulds and pressurized to remove the water.

The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed from the molds, and details

are painstakingly finished with a wide range of tools.

Allen and Patty Eckman have been making these creations since 1987 at their

home studio, in South Dakota. The pieces depict traditional scenes from

Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing.

Allen says, "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was

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 interested in the Indians' material, physical

and spiritual culture; and that whole period of our nation's history

I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War

and beyond, is of great interest to me."

Allen explains their technique: "It should not be confused with

paper mache. The two mediums are completely different.

I call what we do . . . "cast paper sculpture".

"Some of them are life-size, and some are scaled down to 1/6th life-size."

"These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited-detail

animals with no ears, tails or hair. We transform them by sculpting

on top of them--creating detail with soft and hard paper made in

various thicknesses and textures."

About the artists:

http://www.eckmanfineart.com/about_allen-patty.html