The Paper Art of Renée

You may know Renée Tan’s intricate, lace-like but powerful paper art from her Instagram account @paperwithoutborders.

Renée kindly agreed to tell us a bit about her creative process, why paper is her medium of choice, and where she finds inspiration, but before we dive in here is a small sampling of her works:

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Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello friends, I am Renée Tan. I live in a beautiful coastal city called Albany in Western Australia. Albany is the traditional country of the indigenous Menang Noonga people. I have mixed East and Southeast Asian heritage. Apart from the arts, I also have a career in economic development. A little fun fact: the city of Albany has no traffic lights, and no parking meters. 

Could you please tell us a little about your art?

My art can be described as “paper-art”. I only use paper; meaning that paper alone can play the role of canvas, paints and brushes. I hope the photos clarify what paper-art can look like. The works are labour intensive (hand cut or folded) and I am self- taught, meaning that my works are borne out of exploration and curiosity. 

Making art has always been a passion. When I think about facilitating children’s classes or a workshop, my planning begins from “what craft activities can make meaning to the lesson/subject?”

Why paper?

Paper is my beloved medium because it is accessible and relatively mobile. I never find paper boring. 

Paper comes in various make, textures and character. Paper is simple, unpretentious but it has complex potentials. 

I have also used other fibres in my art practice, like plant-roots, seed-pods and threads. I am also currently experimenting with inks on paper. 

What inspires you to create?

What inspires me to create is the noble elevation we are striving to uphold. We are to apply excellence, beauty and glory to everything in our control. 

This elevation is especially challenged when I think I have ruined a piece of work. With time and persistence, the paper will be given its best attainment of paradise. The conclusion (sometimes taking years) of the artwork provides the best sense of joy and service ever! 

This quote from the Bab guides me:

Whoever possesseth power over anything must elevate it to its uttermost perfection that it not be deprived of its own paradise. For example, the paradise of a sheet of paper on which a few excellent lines are inscribed is that it be refined with patterns of gold illumination, adornment, and excellence that are customary for the most exalted parchment scrolls. Then the possessor of that paper hath elevated it to its utmost degree of glory. Should he know of a higher degree of refinement and fail to manifest it upon that paper, he would deprive it of its paradise, and he would be held accountable, for why hast thou, despite the possession of the means, withheld the effusion of grace and favour? – The Bab, from the Persian Bayan 

What inspires me to create is also a child-like curiosity to learn more. Having a go at a new methodology or material is critical to progress. The tests do produce victories!

Why is creativity and artistic expression important to you? Or important to the world?

The sciences bring us a certain reach and conveniences in the material world. (I am writing to you from the ease of my phone.) 

The arts sharpens our senses.

We are immersed, daily, in the arts. Our formative and recent years are enriched by the dances, storytelling, food and exhibitions. The world is beauty; and the arts expresses that beauty in all the forms. 

I see the arts and the sciences as a single unit. Both function together and are not divisible. The skills of the arts are transferable to the requirements of the sciences (my day job), in aspects such as attention to details and problem solving.

This quote helps me grasp the equality of the arts and sciences:

“Craftsmanship is a book among the books of divine sciences, and a treasure among the treasures of His heavenly wisdom. This is a knowledge with meaning, for some of the sciences are brought forth by words and come to an end with words.” – Baha’u’llah from a Tablet, translated from the Persian

My go-to resources, when asked about the role of the arts in the world, begin here: 

(1) “Perfection and Refinement: Towards an Aesthetics of the Bab” by Moojan Momen brought a great shift in my art direction. Momen’s essay suggests potential material (from architecture to music) for inspiring the artist. 

(2) Extracts from The Writings Concerning Arts And Crafts, also published in Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, pp. 1-8 include these words:

“I rejoice to hear that thou takest pains with thine art, for in this wonderful new age, art is worship. The more thou strivest to perfect it, the closer wilt thou come to God. What bestowal could be greater than this, that one’s art should be even as the act of worshipping the Lord? That is to say, when thy fingers grasp the paint brush, it is as if thou wert at prayer in the Temple.” – Abdu’l-Baha, Extract from a tablet from Persian

I love this quote’s elevation of my humble craft to a spiritual action. Art is truly my religion. 

Thank you so much, Renée, for taking the time to share this us!

You can find Renée’s art by following her on Instagram.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.