Visit our Facebook page

David Shelton Gallery

Images (click to enlarge)

Honored Soul, Michael Velliquette
Seeker, Michael Velliquette
Skin and Bones, Michael Velliquette
Babooma, Michael Velliquette
Oneness, Michael Velliquette
Peace Beast, Michael Velliquette
Little Helpers, Michael Velliquette
Diamond (Rumination), Michael Velliquette
Square (Equipoise), Michael Velliquette
Circle (Flowering), Michael Velliquette
Power Shape (Focus), 2009
Power Shape (Insight), 2009

Michael Velliquette

StatementCVExhibitsPress

Statement

My paper works begin with sheets of commercially colored cardstock- a material made more available in recent years by the greater renaissance of the do-it-yourself home crafting movement.

The imagery begins with sketches where I decide on the scale of the work, and a general color sensibility. Individual components of the sketch are translated into hand cut shapes. These then are glued in successive layers on a paper board- working from side-to-side and background to foreground. The flatness of the paper is countered by a dense layering of successively smaller and more ornate pieces; bending, folding, and rolling elements coupled with the graphic qualities of the cut-out's edges, create dramatic contrasts.

My process evolved from my background in mixed-media sculpture and installation (where cardstock and other colored papers were often one component among many). At the time, my work was about transforming conventional craft or building materials into spectacle objects.  But as the paper works evolved I began to look for ways to move beyond the inherent flatness to achieve the same sense of submersion that had been such an important part of my previous installation work. I spent time looking at other art forms like mosaic, relief sculpture, collage, and other paper crafting traditions, and have gone on to incorporate aspects of these forms into my work. The results have been ever-increasing levels of detail and dimensionality.