Featured Artist: Café Paperie
There just aren’t enough words, in English or in French, to describe such a tres EXTRAORDINAIRE, virtuoso talent of this caliber…..Karen, my dear, dear friend of Café Paperie, is quite simply the most gifted artist I’ve ever known. Whatever she sets her mind to create, whatever road her heart takes her down to explore, she masterfully designs, invents & produces, at a soulful level of pure artistic genius.
We first met 10 years ago, when she was painting furniture, home décor, windows & murals for a roster of clients. Her roses, garlands, graphics & calligraphy coupled with her textures & finishes were simply amazing & that work alone made her famous thru out San Diego.
Then, she decided to return to her first artistic love, the one from her childhood days….that of paper art. And like the first project she created at a very young age; a complete marching band made entirely from paper, with all the figures, instruments & enormous details that she’s known for, she’s been blowing minds ever since!
A brilliant esthetique soars thru her infinite imagination on shimmering wings of creative abandon & her work takes on the look, the feel & the artistry of dreamy, make-believe worlds waiting to be discovered. There’s a gift-wrapped playfulness woven throughout everything she does; it’s Alice in Wonderland & sugar plum fairies dancing hand in hand with cutting edge style….all tied up in a thousand velvet ribbons & then sprinkled with equal parts magic fairy dust & glittered cherry blossoms. A true sensory delight awaits her delighted following; to be able to touch & interact with her wildly whimsical & magical creations is like gleefully jumping down the Rabbit Hole....with cirque de soleil!
The fact is, she can make anything out of paper….& has! Her handmade, paper art masterpieces have included; 3 dimensional birds nests with birds chirping & musical notes coming out of their little beaks, 5 inch high, yarn topped cupcakes & ice cream cones, 3 foot tall fully embellished Xmas tree toppers, real tree branches tied with (paper) leaves, berries &/or cherry blossoms, a 6 inch high, (paper) turkey & swiss sandwich (oui!) with a complete (paper) side salad, a full-scale, embellished Marie Antoinette high heel shoe & mystical Chinese lanterns strung across the room. Her signature creation, a full-scale slice of cake that opens up to hold a gift or gift card has become more & more elaborate & she’s also made full scale (paper) wedding cakes, birthday cakes & layer cakes with multiple pieces fitting together. Couture (paper) dresses & ornate wedding gown bottle/wine covers are currently being showcased. (The top photo above is the mannequin she masterfully created to match the one on the front of our expansion party invitation....It was an exact replica!)
Everything is influenced by haute couture & high style, has a French twist & each design is made, one at a time by her. She uses French sheet music, French book pages, vintage millinery, costume jewelry, buttons, crepe paper & everything is a recycled miracle of nature. She fully supports le movement verte by repurposing, reclaiming & reusing all of her materials. (All of the packaging materials from her daughter’s wedding gifts were miraculously repurposed into her work!)
We are proud & honored to be the exclusive showroom of her complete collection of paper passementerie. Café Paperie’s mind-blowing, over the top, whimsical creations are true, theatrical masterpieces of recycled, paper performance art!
Stop in soon to catch the show…it’s usually standing room only.
Jusqu’a la fois prochaine
