Two years ago, lab assistant Ryan Carroll didn’t even know what paper cutting was.
Carroll did grow up crafting origami creations of everything from geometric shapes to animals. So when he stumbled across the art of paper cutting (which has roots going back to sixth century China) on Instagram while in between jobs, he was intrigued.
Fast forward to the present, and the 20-something Allan Hancock College lab assistant/self-taught artist has been showing his work at art fairs and galleries for about a year. The Pismo Beach-based Carroll’s first solo show is currently on display at the Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay.
“It was really just a hobby,” Carroll said. “It was something I would do after work to decompress.”
Carroll started out making paper renditions of his favorite music album covers, like the Shins and A Tribe Called Quest, looking for pieces with sharp, contrasting colors, so the paper pieces would really pop. His work now includes scenic depictions of Morro Rock, a Tokyo street, and complex geometric shapes. His piece Morro Rock layers shades of brown, green, blue, and white paper. The result is a scene that seems so windy, you can almost feel the chill of the bay when you look at it.
These days Carroll free hands his own stencil designs and also uses software called Blender. Next come hours and hours of cutting paper with an X-ACTO knife (he goes through up to 10 blades per project) and a cutting mat.
Carroll selects a background color for the piece and problem solves to layer each piece of paper just so. It’s not unusual for Carroll to binge-work on a project one weekend. Each piece can take anywhere from 10 to 50 hours to complete from design to finish.
“I love paper,” Carroll said. “There’s lots of possibilities and it’s something you don’t see normally.”
The former chemical biology major also seeks to adapt science into art, looking to make things like protein structures and insulin into eye-catching paper pieces.
“I want to give a perspective on these tiny, microscopic structures that people can’t see,” he said.
Ultimately, Carroll hopes that people walk away from his art with an appreciation for an under-recognized art form.
“I want to give people an appreciation for details,” he said.
Ryah Cooley is trying not to get a paper cut as the arts editor at the Sun’s sister paper to the north, New Times. Contact her through Managing Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2017.