This piece is a commission that is the first time I combined the Paper Mosaic process on Lucite. To make the piece memorable for my collector I incorporated a poem she like into the branches and the names of her grandchildren in the birds. Also, upon closer inspection you will find the drama of a caterpillar going into a cocoon and emerging as a butterfly which is one of my favorite motifs to create.

1. The Made Strong Song
K A R E N S I K I E
P a p e r M o s a i c S t u d i o

3. Happiness
Happiness is like a crystal,
Fair and exquisite and clear,
Broken in a million pieces,
Shattered, scattered far and near.
Now and then along life's pathway,
Lo! some shining fragments fall;
But there are so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.
You may find a bit of beauty,
Or an honest share of wealth,
While another just beside you
Gathers honor, love or health.
Vain to choose or grasp unduly,
Broken is the perfect ball;
And there are so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.
Yet the wise as on they journey
Treasure every fragment clear,
Fit them as they may together,
Imaging the shattered sphere,
Learning ever to be thankful,
Though their share of it is small;
For it has so many pieces
No one ever finds them all.

4. It all begins with the drawing.

6. The drawing is reworked and refined on
paper.

7. drawing on Luctie, front view
Lucite comes with a
protective paper on both
the front and back surfaces.
This allows the drawing to
be transferred where it acts
like a map for the Paper
Mosaic to emerge.

8. Now I can turn my attention to creating my palette by painting the papers.

10. butterfly papers

11. bird, branches and leaf papers

12. flower papers

13. background papers

14. To begin, I must remove the protective
paper by using an exacto blade to cut out
the shape and expose the Lucite.
I then trace the exposed shape with
tracing paper and find the paper I want to
use to fill that space.

15. Next I cut out the shape. The tracing paper acts as a pattern.

16. The Paper Mosaic comes
together as each piece of
paper is hand cut and
glued to the exposed Lucite
surface.

18. After the front is complete, I begin to
address the back. I expose the work to
light so the front design comes through.
Now I can draw the design on the back.

19. The process is the same as the front but
when I glue down the paper it is reversed.

20. The benefits of working with Lucite are that depth and shadows are created.

21. The Made Strong Song

23. Karen Sikie is a Los Angeles artist who enjoys working with private collectors to create
work that is meaningful to them.
Her muse is the natural world, finding inspiration from the infinite array of colors
patterns and textures. She sees the underlying ideas in nature like; energy, reciprocity
and connection and incorporates them into the work.
Her mediums are paper and Lucite. So when you visit her studio you will see her
meticulously hand cutting paper or engraving the smooth surface of Lucite all while
her grey hound lounges on his pillow nearby.
You are welcome to stop by they. They love company!
To see more of Karen Sikie's work go to www.karensikie.com

26. K A R E N S I K I E
paper mosaic studio
www.karensikie.com