Marisa Aragón Ware's paper sculptures pay tribute to flora and fauna

Dec. 23—From origami to quilling, paper art has the ability to take many different forms — each filled with nuance, grace and sometimes wonder.

Marisa Aragón Ware, an art professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, takes the delicate material to new heights with paper sculptures that seem to defy the laws of physics and gravity.

Her Instagram bio reads "paper sorceress," and from just one look at her striking creations, it's clear to see this title is well deserved.

From winged insects to hummingbirds and anatomically accurate skeletal pieces, her intriguing work continues to wow onlookers.

Blossoming flowers, butterflies, cicadas and split-tongued serpents are just a few of the subjects she has fashioned from paper.

Ware has also dabbled in the art of tattooing, created poster art for bands such as The String Cheese Incident, Rising Appalachia and STS9 and made illustrations for big-name companies including Disney, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, Gallo Wines and many others.

We caught up the Boulder-based creative to learn more about her process, how a passion for environmentalism and locale terrain fuels her craft and what we can expect from her next.

Kalene McCort: Your paper sculptures are so lovely. What inspired you to work in this medium, and what's your creative process like most days?

Marisa Aragón Ware: I actually work in a lot of different mediums, and my creative process differs depending on the project. My paper sculpture work is typically for fine art commissions or gallery shows, while my pen and ink and digital work are usually for commercial illustrations. I'm also a tattoo artist, although I only occasionally work in that medium these days.

Because I wear a lot of different hats artistically, my routine is always shifting — but the ways in which I nurture my creativity stay the same regardless of the medium I'm working in. Scientists who study creativity have identified a brain state called transient hypofrontality, which is when the frontal lobe of the brain is less active — often called a flow state. During transient hypofrontality, the judging and analyzing part of our brain gets a rest, which allows other creative functions to become more dominant. It's possible to deliberately invoke this state, and I spend a portion of my day cultivating the environment for this to occur. For me, meditation and either walking or running in nature are the two most reliable ways to trigger a successful flow state. I also find that playing piano before I sit down at my drafting table helps grease the wheels of my creative mind.

Once I have prepared my mind for working, I'll sit down at my desk and begin with a warm up drawing in my sketchbook. I'm always studying and trying to improve my skills, so I often start with copying a drawing from an anatomy book or drawing some wildlife from reference photos. Then I'll dive into my work and lose track of time while listening to music or audiobooks.

Working with paper is particularly energy and time-intensive, and I'll end up making thousands of cuts with my X-Acto knife in a day. I find paper to be an endlessly fascinating medium not only because it is so versatile, but also because it is such an ordinary material that everyone has handled countless times. When an artist is able to make something extraordinary from a humble, everyday substance, it evokes a lot of surprise and wonder in the viewer. I love seeing people's reaction when their eyes widen and they ask in disbelief, "that's paper?"

Paper is also one of the oldest mediums, having been invented by the Chinese about 2,000 years ago. Paper cuttings have been a part of traditional folk art for many cultures throughout time, and I love being a part of the contemporary expression of that lineage and craft.

KM: Where in Colorado did you grow up, and would you say this state's landscape and wildlife continue to act as muses?

MAW: Having been born and raised in Boulder, I garnered a deep appreciation for nature from a childhood spent roaming the forests and meadows of the Rocky Mountains. I would often go hiking with my scientist father who knew the names of all the plants, as well as which were edible and which were poisonous. We would crouch down to study the subtle identifying differences in flower petals or to inspect the anatomy of an earthworm. I learned how to gently catch and release snakes, identify the most poisonous of mushrooms, and — most importantly — how to pay attention to details and appreciate the ordinary beauty all around us. My mother would always have paints and art supplies ready for me, and she really encouraged and celebrated my attempts at painting the flora and fauna I would find as reference in our backyard.

These formative experiences heavily influenced my perception of the world and forever formed me into a passionate environmentalist. Connecting with nature has always been effortless for me, and I see now that this leisure time exploring the forests as a child was a privilege that not everyone was granted. Most people in our modern culture are cut off from the natural world, and therefore unaware of the immeasurable benefits of spending time in the woods, the desert, the beach or any solitary, wild place. This disconnect is not only a disservice to our very humanity, but it also causes a lack of care and concern in how we as a culture relate to the environment.

Through my work, I strive to depict the magic of the natural world in order to help others connect with — and therefore cultivate care for — the environment. Whether that is through researching endangered species and then creating imagery to raise awareness or through making delicate paper sculptures depicting the intricate beauty of an ordinary forest floor, I attempt to awaken the viewer to the reality of the world we are living in, where so much is at stake. I spend a lot of time hiking with my dog in the mountains of Colorado, and much of my imagery is inspired by these experiences. I also have a strong passion for animal rights, extending beyond wildlife to include domesticated and farm animals. Because of this, I've been vegetarian for 19 years and vegan for seven, and I often try to use my platform as an artist to raise awareness about the cruelty these animals are subjected to.

KM: I know you have also authored and illustrated two children's books. What prompted you to want to tell these stories, and can we expect any more books from you in the future?

MAW: I grew up loving Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak and Roald Dahl, and that love of reading grew into a love of literature as I got older. Telling stories that have meaning and substance to them is such a human endeavor, and I've always wanted to make whatever small contribution I can to that tradition.

My first book, "Where's Buddha?" is for 0- to 4-year-olds and is a colorful, sweet and rhyming book that little ones seem to find very entertaining as they search to find Buddha through the various pages of hot air balloons, safari animals, forests, airplanes and underwater scenes.

My second book, "Bodhi Sees the World," is for 3- to 7-year-olds and follows a little girl as she experiences the wonders of visiting a foreign country. At first, she is overwhelmed by the differences, but once she quiets her mind, she begins to notice all of the things that humanity shares in common.

I have so many ideas for more children's books and am working on one right now that was inspired by my amazing rescue dog Echo. It's a story about the power that friendship has to help us be brave and go beyond our fears.

KM: Do you have any holiday rituals you practice this time of year?

MAW: Ever since I was a little kid, I've always identified as a bit of a witch. For me, that means being in tune with the changing of the seasons, communing with the silence of nature and spending time connecting with the primordial power of this planet and the universe beyond it. I've found the practice of gardening to be an incredible way to experience and participate in all of the seasons. I love the cycle of planting seeds in the spring, tending to the plants as they grow in the summer, harvesting them in the fall and then eating the preserved and pickled vegetables in the winter. During this time of year, I stare out of my window and imagine the garden in spring, making plans for the flowers and veggies I'll be planting. I love making little altars of evergreen boughs, pinecones, dried thistles and other wintry decorations.

While I grew up celebrating Christmas and still participate in exchanging gifts and hanging holiday lights, I've been a practicing Buddhist since I was in my early 20s. I have a wonderful Buddhist community here in Boulder, and we often get together to practice meditation. We celebrate Losar, or Tibetan New Year, in February, and it's always a joyous occasion of meditation, feasting and being together.

KM: What are some artistic and personal goals you hope to accomplish in 2023?

MAW: For the last few years, I've been teaching art at the University of Colorado, and it has become one of my favorite things I do with my time. I never expected to become a professor, but I have found that teaching is one of the most rewarding, inspiring and fulfilling activities I've ever done. Interacting with my students keeps me motivated to continue learning and pushing my craft, and I aspire to be the best instructor possible for them. I also teach private lessons, and find that one-on-one interaction to be such a powerful learning experience for both my students and myself.

With my personal work, I want to keep exploring the crossover of paper sculpture and wearable art. I've begun making some masks and have plans for headdresses and even clothing. I have so many ideas for different things to create, and I'll be happy if I make even 10% of them. I also love doing private commissions, and find a lot of meaning in making art specially to suit someone's unique vision.

More than anything, I want to keep unearthing my authentic creative voice. It's such an ineffable pursuit, but every artist can relate. I want to make art that comes straight from the core of my being, without a filter of concern for how it will be received. As René Magritte said, "Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist." I think it's a lifelong pursuit to try to strip down the hesitations and judgments of ego in order to create something that is true — so that's what I'm going to keep working on, year after year, in my own way.