Kelsey Herber, School Programs Associate
This week in the FWMoA studio we are fascinated by the insanely detailed and, in some cases, large-scale artworks in Paper Made II, on view now until February 1, 2026. All of the pieces in this show are made primarily of paper materials, with secondary sculptural materials present in many to help keep a three-dimensional shape. The focus on paper and its immense range of abilities in 2D and 3D artmaking and construction gives us, as viewers, a glimpse into the ways creativity can shine even with very basic materials.
Two artworks on display in Paper Made II, one by John Heintzman and another by Eleftheria Easley, are great examples of small pieces coming together to make the whole. These pieces remind me of tessellations, which are repeating tiles of any shape that come together to cover a surface. Along with Heintzman’s and Easley’s artworks, pictured, a simple example of tessellation that we see every day is the repeating pattern of square floor tiles. However, tessellations can be composed of much more complex and sometimes organic shapes. Though intricate tessellations and geometric designs have been used for centuries, especially in traditional Islamic construction and decoration, artists like M. C. Escher brought tessellations into the modern art period and into the light of standalone artworks. Check out Escher’s Symmetry collection to see his wide range of tessellation sketches and finished works.
In today’s Saturday Studio, we’re going to practice one of the processes in which a tessellation can be made in order to create a small, patterned tile artwork out of paper. Tessellations as a concept can be tricky to grasp at first, especially when trying to decide your subject. The method explained below keeps the process simple and quick. Happy making!
Materials needed:
- Colored paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
To begin, cut colored paper into squares. I ended up cutting five yellow squares and four orange squares, each two inches by two inches, in order to create a final grouping of nine squares. There’s a lot of variation in this activity, however, so I encourage you to play around with the sizes and colors of your squares. The main guideline is that they should be squares of equal dimensions.
One by one, begin cutting the same shape out of one edge of each square. You can cut one and use it to trace onto the other squares. I started with the right edge and cut out a sort of tailfin shape. Once you have cut the shape out of one edge, slide it to the opposite edge (the shape I cut from the right edge is now placed along the left edge). The piece I cut out for the tailfin on the right now looks like a pouty face on the left.
Once all of the side shapes are cut and moved to the opposite side, repeat this step with the top and bottom. I cut a dorsal fin shape out of the bottom edge and slid it to the top edge.
Finally, glue all the pieces down so that the edges of each piece are tight together. An optional last step, but always a fun one, is to draw details on your tessellations to give them life. I drew scales, eyes, and bubbles on mine to make them more distinct as fish. This is an easy paper activity to do with scraps of any paper, making it a fun recycling activity as well!
For more inspiration, see Paper Made II, on view at FWMoA now until February 1, 2026.