Paper hearts for pondering

In a world where hand-written notes aren’t as common as they used to be, one artist has taken our connection to these pieces of paper and explored them through her art.

Melbourne’s Greer Townshend returns to Noosa with her solo exhibition after winning Highly Commended in Noosa Regional Gallery’s inaugural Lynn McCrae Drawing Prize, last year.

‘Heart’ is a series of charcoal drawings on large unfolded origami hearts, featuring kirigami – a variation of origami that includes cutting of the paper. Traditionally kirigami starts with a folded base, which is then unfolded; cuts are then opened and flattened to make the finished kirigami similar to paper snowflakes.

“It’s a strange and precious thing, the relationship we have with folded paper,” Townshend said.

“You see those folded notes around, you know – you see them at supermarkets, like lost, folded shopping lists, and there’s something really personal about them.”

During her studio experiments, Townshend was inspired by the random creases in the paper, as opposed to the origami shapes she’d been learning to create.

Her finished works are delicately intricate carved paper hearts.

“When you fold them back up, you can’t see anything,” Townshend said. “They look like blank paper. And I think that’s true of life and the people you meet. You can’t ever know what’s going on, on the inside. You’ll only ever know if you start speaking with them.”

‘Heart’ is on show at Noosa Regional Gallery, riverside, Pelican Street, Tewantin.

28 April 2017