Paper People

This is Carol. She is a middle-aged housewife and mother of two girls. Her days are filled with carting the kids to and fro, cooking and shopping, as well as volunteer work with her older daughter’s Girl Scout troop. She loves her life but could really use a day at the spa and a good colorist for the grey hairs that are suddenly popping up! Her husband is in the doghouse this week (maybe you can tell from Carol's expression) because he just told her that he is going golfing all day on Saturday with the guys. Carol had other plans. It is her birthday, afterall. (Roger is kind of a dope.)

Carol and her family are made out of recycled junk mail, which is combined with water to make paper pulp. The pulp is cast in a mold and allowed to air dry for several days. Their faces are hand-painted and embellished with seed beads and yarn and other things that almost got thrown away.

I love making these little faces. There was one time that I made a little old lady with lipstick on the outside of her lips. She had blue hair and it was tightly curled, as if she had just taken her rollers out but didn't brush out her hair. I was selling at a craft show when I saw the very embodiment of what I had made show up - complete with lipstick outside of the lips and blue hair!!! She truly looked exactly like the paper person I made. I was actually thinking of giving it to her for free but then I didn't want to insult her or hurt her feelings...

I made another one that turned out to look incredibly familiar. It took me a while until I realized it was the father of one of my good friends. I don't think I could look at a person and intentionally make their face in paper, but it really tickles me when I make a face that I know. I hope they make you giggle.