Meet the Artists

Introducing:

Paper Mache Artisans

Scroll down to meet our team members and learn more about their art!

Hello from Carey's Quirks and Whimseys. We are Kathy and Lori Carey, two cousins who love to create original one of a kind paper mache sculptures together. Carey's Quirks and Whimseys hails from Iowa, the tall corn state. As artists we create with our beloved Shih Tzu herd warming our feet. We love the thrill of finding our art materials in unexpected places and spending nights

spinning our imaginations into new art. Our paper mache characters come alive with the hours we spend sculpting, painting and embellishing. We hope our fanciful imaginings come alive in your world and evoke your imagination as well.

We enjoy working together because it's just more fun. Also, Kathy is a procrastinator and if she didn't have Lori she'd still be eternally trying to balance her checkbook and attempting to clean her house. On the other hand, Iowa is full of lots of clouds and that's where Lori would still be if she didn't have Kathy to reign her in and bring her back to reality every once in awhile. Our artistic strengths are different and we like to combine them to make our quirky Carey creations!

Our paper mache sculptures can be purchased online through our website www.careysquirksandwhimseys.com or etsy.com.

Madeline Carey is a self taught twenty three year old second generation artist who

uses paper mache pulp to make functional, to a degree, and decorative bowls. She has worked for her father, full time artist Craig Carey, www.careyart.com, since she was very young, doing painting and simple assembly. In 2005 she thought that maybe she wanted to make her own art and her and her father both decided that paper mache would be safer than letting her use a saw.

Each bowl is handmade and one of a kind. Many bowls feature snakes either coming up the sides or curling around the entire bowl. Her most recent line of bowls, started in 08', feature non-snake designs like spikes, squares, or circles. Every bowl is sanded, primed and then painted in bright enamels. There are many sizes and color combos to choose from. Don't see exactly what you want? Custom bowls are available!

Madeline sells online at www.careyart.com and www.madelinecarey.etsy.com. She also sells at various art shows around the country.

Melanie Ann M

ercado of M Ann M - She was born and reared in New York and now resides in the city with her husband and daughter. Melanie is largely self taught as an artist and has been involved with crafts since she was “old enough to be left alone with a pair of scissors.” Her goal is to create art that not only appeals to herself,

but that also appeals to other folk art enthusiasts that are looking for something unique, innovative and fun.

Melanie's art is original and one-of-a-kind. Since each piece is handmade and signed by the artist, no two are exactly the same. The artist works with all kinds of mediums but prefers to create things with paper. Her works include paper dolls, mixed-media paintings, paper-mache hot-air-balloons and Jack-in-the-boxes.

Melanie’s art has been published several times and she teaches her art at classes and workshops on the East Coast. Melanie’s art can be purchased online through www.mannm.net , www.wwwmannmnet.etsy.com or through art fairs in New York.

Hi, my name is Cynthia Theroux. I reside in Charlestown, Rhode Island. I am a self taught artist and have been working with papercalay for a little over 3 years. I love to sculpt 3 dimensional dolls and figures that are animals yet they have a human-like appearance. I have recently broadened my field to include clay over cloth dolls. I have an Etsy site called Cindricksbabys, and this is where I show and sell my artwork.

Northern California is home to Sylvia Anderson, where she creates whimsical

paper mache characters born from her imagination, and inspired by old children’s stories, vintage postcards, and Holiday imagery. Sylvia has worked in several mediums over the years, but found her niche when she tried her hand at sculpting. She found that the characters come to life

in the 3-dimensional form, and the possibilities are endless.

Collectors are drawn to Sylvia’s unique style, and the attention to detail that she puts into each piece. All of her work has been completely hand made and hand sculpted without the use of molds. Sylvia spends several hours on each piece, to achieve the fine details that make each one unique and special.

She has designed projects which have been featured in Country Marketplace magazine, and GiftMaker magazine, and teaches students how to make their own whimsical characters out of paper mache.

Her wish is that her creations will touch people’s hearts, and bring a smile to their faces. www.SylviaAnderson.blogspot.com

Hello! I am Malissa Melrose. I am married and have a wonderful little boy and live in the great big state of Texas.

I am brand new to the sculpting and folk art community. I have considered myself an artist all of my life and enjoy making and creating just about everything. I started scupting a couple of years ago with polymer clay and shortly after discovered paperclay. I adore the look and texture that you can get with paperclay and it has become my medium of choice in sculpting.

I am self taught, and learning and discovering new techniques all of the time. All of my pieces are completely handsculpted. I never use molds. I love to experiment with different looks. I'm really inspired by vintage folk art and mixed media art and love to give my pieces a timeworn appearance.

My goal in sculpting and creating is to give myself and others joy. I hope that looking at my whimsical, original creations makes you smile!

You can find me on etsy at www.sleepyhollowfolkart.etsy.com

or on my blog www.sleepyhollowfolkartoriginals.blogspot.com

Hi! I'm Stephanie Nayman Berry. I am a self taught artist and have been designing professionally for the last 20 years. I live in a small community outside Lawrenceburg, TN on the beautiful Buffalo River with my husband Tom and our two son's Zak and John-Wesley.

Growing up in the South, I draw my inspiration from stories I grew up hearing from my mother and grandmother “Honey”. I am also inspired by every day life with my family and friends as well as watching the locals here.

My style is sometimes whimsical, sometimes primitive and some days just plain odd. I work mainly in paper mache, but also enjoy watercolor, polymer clay, and cloth.

I have designed for companies such as Designs Combined Inc., Evergreen International and Homespun Country Inc.

But get the greatest satisfaction when I have made a piece and see a smile on a collectors face.

My work has also been in Country Sampler’s Country Business and Country Sampler.

You can see more of my work at www.stephanieberrydesigns.webs.com

Linda Catalano

I'm the egghead of an artistic family who only relatively recently (and quite by accident) discovered that I, too, could make nice-looking things. I needed a Christmas gift for my mother but didn't have the money to get her what I wanted, a beautiful, hand-painted ceramic pig, so I made her one of my own out of paper mache. Needless to say, I'm self-taught. From whimsical pigs I migrated to birds, which is what I specialize in today. I also make the occasional monster, but "Scary Plant" is the first I've made for sale. I live in New York city with my two crazy dogs, Petey and Melle (that's Melle in the picture with me). You can see more of Linda's work at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6892221.

Self-taught artist Elaine Thomas has always enjoyed creating even as a young child. “Art has always influenced my life. I'm inspired by my family and by childhood memories. When you see my artwork I want it to make you think back about the fun times you enjoyed with your family and friends,” said Elaine. “I want to bring a smile to people’s faces and joy into their hearts when they see my work.” Elaine is currently licensed with Demdaco.

You can see more of Elaine's work at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5080765

Sharon Stavenhagen - A Missouri transplant, by way of Iowa, to Illinois, some 46 years ago, which means I’m in the Social Security age. I have worked in instant paper mache for 19 years. Being a self taught artisan, my style is folk art and I like to make Santas, Sammys and Halloween figures, but also like other challenges to sculpt. I sell at local art shows and maintain a booth at the Galesburg Antique Mall at Galesburg, Il. I sell online at sharonstavenhagen.etsy.com.My sculptures are hand formed and one-of-a-kind. I also hand quilt and paint on just about anything am a member of the Paper Mache Artisans team. sharonstavenhagen.etsy.com

Jenny Hernandez of The Polka Dot Pixie - Hi! I am a folk artist living in the cool piney mountains of Northern Arizona with my two kids, husband, and sweet Border Collie/Australian Shepard mix. My full time gig is with a non profit agency, sculpting funny little guys out of clay is my therapy! :-) http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5011152
Visit me on my blog! www.thepolkadotpixie.blogspot.com