In this section, you will find inspiration, tutorials, events and successful Paper Artists who made of paper their bread and butter. And don't forget to follow us!
I'm Roberto Benavidez. I was born and raised in South Texas and have been living in Los Angeles since 2000.
I had always had in mind that I would pursue a career in art.
My first memory of someone introducing me to sculpting was when I was 9 years old. I was working on the ranch with a cousin and we were bored and he grabbed a hunk of clay soil and worked it into a cube. He told me to watch him as he pressed out the edges and shaped it into a cowboy hat. It was magic to me. Most of my technique comes from watching others or exploring techniques on my own.
As a sculptor I began my movement to paper in 2009 when I was looking for a medium that was less expensive than metal casting and that I could work on at home - or anywhere.
My first project was a piñata and fell in love with the art form.
Piñata making is what introduced me to working with crepe paper.
And now... I love the textures of the paper and the shades of colors you can create by layering different colored papers over one another.
Why I love Piñatas? I was intrigued by the idea of taking the piñata form, something seen as cheap and disposable, and moving it into the arena of fine art. I feel that my sculptural forms and fringing techniques set my work apart from what most people think of as a typical piñata and the themes are more complex than is typical.
So, right now, I keep myself busy with private commissions. But, mainly, I am working on completing my Hieronymus Bosch inspired piñatas that I hope to show as a grouping.
