“I create realistic life-size figures and animals out of newspaper with an internal structure made of wood and wire. The newspaper forms have a collage of words and colorful advertising that is applied in a spontaneous painterly fashion to reflect the mood and life of the individual.”
“My subjects are real, everyday people who are often undistinguished and living on the margins of society. I select and create uncommon characters that have a distinct emotive quality. I use photography to capture a moment of their daily lives. They are often comic in character, dress or body type. The posture, gestures, facial expressions and clothing bring the figures to life. They have a familiarity of someone you might know or have passed on the street. I capture their resilience and vulnerability to embody a true empathy for the hardships we all share. The animals are selected to show their unique breed, size, shape or type of hair. Through them I am able express their innocence and humor that has a universal appeal.”
“Newspaper is my medium of choice because it gives a raw, imperfect, ephemeral quality that reminds us that we are only here on this earth for a short while.”
More of his work can be seen on his website, Facebook and Instagram.
Images: Courtesy of Will Kurtz
