AN ordinary piece of paper can turn into an incredible artwork. Paper has endless possibilities and as such, any imaginative idea can turn into reality. Due to its flexibility, paper can be used to create artwork, sculptures, paintings or even window displays.
A paper artist can craft a masterpiece with paper and sometimes, the creations look just like the real thing. In Malaysia, there are few paper artists, and one who caught our eyes with her talent is Dora Haron.
The artist developed a passion for paper creation when she was in secondary school. Even as an adult, the psychology graduate continued crafting paper and six years ago, Dora turned her hobby into a business – DH Paper Art (www.dhpaperart.com or Instagram page @DH.Paper.Art).
A beautiful piece
Dora, who was once a wedding planner, used to work with fresh flowers but later came to the realisation that paper is the right medium for her remarkable art.
“I fell in love with paper because paper is something so simple and at the same time, fragile and easy to manipulate. You can do wonders with paper. It can be moulded, folded, cut, dried, blended and made into anything. Most importantly, it does not hurt the environment,” said Dora.
“I like to make things beautiful. I like beautiful things. In fact, every time I come across something amazing or beautiful, I would wonder; ‘how did they put everything together. Then, I would think to myself; ‘how can I make it?”
Journey into paper
Inspired by its intricacies, Dora began her own journey into paper art, creating impressive delicate paper crafts, from avant-garde headpieces to enchanting garden designs for weddings or a fantasy world using various colourful papers with just papers and adhesive.
For example, Dora skillfully moulds papers to create life-size human figurines using the low-poly 3D structure technique, meticulously making geometrical shapes like little triangles and squares out of papers to form the human face.
Other unique creations include intricate but realistic-looking paintings, larger-than life paper flowers, and cakes made using papier mache. In this technique, papers are soaked and blended and added with colour and clay to build the layers of the cake.
Looking at the exquisite artworks, we can’t help but wonder – how did she do it with just papers?
“I do a lot of research,” admits Dora. “Some people choose to read books but I ‘read’ pictures. I have collected a lot of pictures over the years and I have been using it as a guide. Every time, I come up with an idea, it’s in a visual form in my mind.”
One-of-a-kind
For Dora, every commission is unique and thus, each project is a custom-made design. Firstly, she would get a brief about her clients’ ideas and after some discussion, she would create a prototype piece and show it to them prior to starting a project.
Dora takes two to six months before any event to prepare. For perfect wedding decoration, preparation has to begin at least six months earlier.
Dora’s works includes the Blooms of Prosperity decoration at the Pavillion Kuala Lumpur Shopping Centre for the Chinese New Year festive season, based on a design by Master Chen Xiao.
“It was one of the most challenging commission to date. It consists of all types of paper artwork methods, ranging from low poly to 3D artwork to layering methods,” revealed Dora.
“We have to put them together to look like a painting. Paper can turn into a masterpiece or complete rubbish. To reach the ‘masterpiece’ level, I had to craft it in a way that it turns out like a real painting.”
It took two months to prepare to create the stunning 30-foot Paper Art Garden, which happens to be one of the most challenging projects ever for Dora and her team. One of the hardest parts of the project was making a hill out of cardboard.
Her most recent project was a three-window Eid Mubarak display at Fireworks Multibrand Concept at The Curve shopping centre. She created a visual impact with soft colours and floral designs, and the display conveyed a special meaning about Ramadhan and Syawal.
“I wanted to do the display with quite different elements than the common elements of Hari Raya like ketupat, pelita, tudung saji. Instead, I want to emphasise the harmony, calmness, purity and holiness of the Ramadan and Syawal months,” she said.
Future of paper artwork
Being a part of a small industry in Malaysia, Dora has been pushing paper artworks to art galleries but she finds it difficult to promote the craft.
“We want people to know that the artwork is very unique. In Malaysia, I hope event companies and wedding planners consider having decorations with paper artwork. You can always put fresh flowers together with paper flowers,” said Dora.
“A detailed paper artwork is the best as it can bring your imagination to reality. Besides, paper can be recycled and reused, and it does not hurt the environment. In the end, we have to put it in the landfill to disintegrate.”
Dora purposely chooses to work with premium papers that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified only.
The paper is sourced from forests that managed or comply with FSC’s strict social and environmental standards. FSC products have been verified as 100% recycled papers, therefore, she is helping to protect the forest by using recycled papers.
Despite the gorgeous paper artwork she creates, for Dora, choosing the right material that has no negative impact on the environment is important. She also ensures that she recycles each sheet of paper until the last life the paper!
