Chewing with the PAPER CHIPMUNK

“I’m Ellen Golla. I make my artist’s books and related work under The Paper Chipmunk Press imprint. I used to mostly make pictures in the form of finely detailed paper mosaic collages. My longtime studio and alter ego is Zebra Crossing Picture Factory. And what, you might ask, does a chipmunk have to do with a zebra? Good question. Zebra Crossing Picture Factory came first. In the background to my paper mosaic collages, I’d long been making little books and doing other things with paper. I didn’t consider these to be my “real” work, and often gave them away as gifts. Over a decade ago, I developed an undiagnosed condition that affected my hands and concentration, among other things. As my ability to intensively use tweezers and scissors declined, I turned increasingly to those handmade books and other paper-based creations. The world of artists’ books became a fascination and a solace. I started a blog about paper art and artists’ books to entertain myself. I chose the Paper Chipmunk to differentiate it from my usual studio output. But as I became more and more involved with making books–and this blog–Zebra Crossing and The Paper Chipmunk began to evolve together. Artist’s books and related matters became my regular work, and I adopted The Paper Chipmunk Press as my imprint. I call it the bookmaking division of Zebra Crossing Picture Factory. After ten years of various diagnostic guesses that included a pain syndrome to having a neurologist tell me that I’m an overly imaginative artist with a “fantastical interpretation” of my “bodily sensations,” I discovered that I actually have Multiple Sclerosis (or, in doctor speak, “probably Multiple Sclerosis”). Fortunately, I can still fold and sew paper and dream up ideas for books. I’ve noticed that people sometimes arrive here because they have Googled “chipmunk made of paper” or “papier maché chipmunk.” Alas, I don’t offer those. But I do love paper, collage, cut paper and artists’ books. Here are my random chewings on these as well as other topics from my life as an artist. Papier maché chipmunks aside, I hope you find something useful.”

Art work by Ellen Golla

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