I saw Olaf Hajek’s monograph Flowerhead in a bookstore one day and fell head over heels in love with his work. His colorful work graces magazines, ad campaigns, and quite a few walls (I can imagine!). His folklore-ish style has an air usually reserved for modern contemporary art, but works very well within the commercial realm too, which makes him special. None of his work is digital — all of them were painted with acrylics on cardboard, paper or wood.

He hails from Germany and first trained as a graphic designer before discovering his love of painting — and that’s when his freelance illustration career began! See more of his work over on his portfolio website!

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the artist Casey Weldon, who is behind these paintings is a dude. Why? It wasn’t just the ambiguity of his name. I feel and I understand the emotions of what his female subjects are going through because at some point in my life, I’ve felt that way too. I ignorantly assumed that only a female would understand and be able to put those emotions into a tangible painting.

I was soooo wrong. I believe I’m right however when I say Casey is an amazing artist and painter. Support him please.

I’m in love with paper, and I love how many varieties there are of the stuff. Coated, glossy, matte, translucent — you name it, there’s a paper for everything. Its purpose for communications was unstoppable ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. This book is a book about three dimensional work made from paper, produced on two dimensional paper, and it’s exactly why I’m in love with it.

Title: Unfolded: Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry
Hardcover: 255 pages

Rather than focusing on the commicative aspects of paper, the authors of Unfolded wanted to pursue paper from the perspective of something more sculptural and three dimensional. Arguably, paper on its own is more two dimensional than three, but if you were to layer it, twist it, and even pile on to it, it becomes so much more than a flat plane. It’s a magical material – light, sharp and precise.

The book is divided into two parts — one projects and one material. The process is where artists, designers and architects showcase their paper prowess by producing some of the most experimental and impressive projects involving paper that I have ever seen.

Furniture, structure, fashion, art installations and products are created via the manipulation of paper and it’s incredible how the 70+ artists turn a basic material into something that deserves artistic merit. From Shigeru Ban’s paper houses to the cutting edge paper folds of Richard Sweeney, projects in the book are beautifully captured and detailed.

Another section of interest for paperphiles is the expansion of the materials used (some of them used by artists in the project section). Even more valuable is that the authors have supplied information on where to purchase these materials directly as well. With different paper stock denoting the section, it’s filled with the latest technologies and types of paper that is in circulation today with generous pictures to illustrate. My only gripe was that although the pictures were pretty to look at, the combination of the paper stock used and the soft focus of the photography did not help much in providing a very clear rendition of the materials.

Despite the small flaw, the book is heavy, beautiful and inspiring — and makes a great addition to your library if you love all things paper!