| There has been much speculation of the origins
of the craft of 3D Picture Sculpture, 3D Decoupage or Paper
Tole. The Japanese have for centuries shaped and folded paper
into beautiful designs, transforming a piece of paper into
a three dimension creation.
Oriental lacquer work formed the basis of the development
of the 17th Century art form decoupage. The craftspeople of
the day embedded designs into furniture by applying successive
coats of lacquer, sometimes using 15 or 20 coats.
The French and Venetian further refined these techniques
in an art form called "Vue d'Optique" which is considered
by many as equivalent to the modern method of using paper
to create 3dimensional pictures.
Other names have been given to the art form. Some of the
common names used have been papertole, papiertole, 3 Dimensional
Paper Tole, Decoupage, 3D art, 3D dimensional decoupage and
dimensional art.
More recently the craft has been developed to a level of
artistry using advanced shaping and sculpturing methods. During
the 1930's in the heartland of USA and during the Depression,
crafters had to be most innovative and make use of resources
that were at hand.
It was traditional at that time for households to receive
multiple Christmas cards with the same image from charity
agencies. After the festive season many of these cards were
unused and presented an ideal opportunity during the cold
winter months to create 3D pictures using multiple copies
of the same image.
The craft rapidly developed and moved from layering techniques
to actual paper sculpturing. Initially 3 or 4 copies of identical
prints were used, but this was further developed to include
more prints thus more detail.
It was during the late 70's and early 80's that the craft
really developed a surge of interest. At that stage, Canadians
took an interest in the craft and further developed techniques
that added both flair and artistry. |