Imago paper pulp — isabelrower

This body of work that was exhibited as part of Imago, was made using found furniture left on the curb near my studio, reconstituted into wooden armatures onto which I built up layers of papier-mâché and a pulp composite containing wood glue, sawdust, and paper pulp made from shredded waste paper. The table was constructed with a plywood armature and similarly coated in layers of paper pulp. Across these surfaces, I inlaid ceramic tiles made from various Mason stain combinations to emulate Italian marble inlay and pearlescent tones referencing mother-of-pearl in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European papier-mâché furniture and objets d’art. The motifs were traced from drawings and individually cut from slabs of colored clay. After copious rounds of sanding to render the pulp surface akin to smooth wood, the tiles were adhered, gaps filled with black epoxy putty resembling lacquer, and the entire piece sealed, sprayed, and clear-coated to complete the illusion of black lacquer.

Pieran Spring, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 17.5 H × 37.5 W × 37.5 D in.

Pieran Spring (Detail), 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 17.5 H × 37.5 W × 37.5 D in.

Pieran Spring (Detail), 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 17.5 H × 37.5 W × 37.5 D in.

Oleander, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 31.5 H × 18.0 W × 18.0 D in.

Oleander (Detail), 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 31.5 H × 18.0 W × 18.0 D in.

Oleander, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 31.5 H × 18.0 W × 18.0 D in.

Loosener of Limbs, Love, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 32.0 H × 45.5 W × 21.5 D in.

Loosener of Limbs, Love, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 32.0 H × 45.5 W × 21.5 D in.

Loosener of Limbs, Love, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 32.0 H × 45.5 W × 21.5 D in.

Loosener of Limbs (Deatil), Love, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 32.0 H × 45.5 W × 21.5 D in.

Loosener of Limbs (Deatil), Love, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 32.0 H × 45.5 W × 21.5 D in.

Twelve Pointed Cloud, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 15.25 H × 27.5 W × 27.5 D in.

Twelve Pointed Cloud, 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 15.25 H × 27.5 W × 27.5 D in.

Twelve Pointed Cloud (Detail), 2025. Ceramic, Paper Pulp, Epoxy, Paint. 15.25 H × 27.5 W × 27.5 D in.