Elisa Contemporary Art presents Cut, Rolled and Burnt. Manipulated Works of Paper. The exhibit opens May 10, 2013. It will run through August 11, 2013. Our latest exhibit explores four contemporary artists who are taking paper to extremes -- one could say beating it to a pulp – in the pursuit of creating original visions and art.

California Artist, Michael Buscemi began his series of white paper collages began in 2012. He wanted to eliminate all existing media and be left only with light, shape and shadow. He takes extra thick rag paper and with a swift and fluid cut, creates thousands of small, shaped pieces. These severed paper pieces are then built up and layered, allowing the shadows and shapes to organically form, before being set with a polimear gel.

Amy Genser’s exploration of paper as medium began in a papermaking and bookmaking class she took, while studying for her graduate degree in graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design. Today, she masterfully manipulates paper -- each piece being cut, rolled and stacked -- to mimic organic forms and natural processes. While starting as flat piles of paper, her artwork builds and grows into 3-dimensional constructions filled with color, texture and patterns.

Don Morris's constructions are carefully manipulated comic book paper pages that are cut and folded to create undulating surfaces filled with gentle peaks and curves. From a distance the viewer sees only the interplay of colors and texture. However, as the viewer is drawn in, the super heroes fly, struggle, and climb. Words bubble from the comic book text and are clearly visible throughout the pieces, allowing the viewer to read the dialog of the action heroes.

Hawaii based artist, Wayne Zebzda was born in Connecticut and started his journey out west attending the San Francisco Art Institute on a full scholarship as a painting major. With day jobs in construction, he integrated the tools of this trade into his art -- creating sculptural and installation works, as well as his carbon smoke drawings made with a blow torch.

According to Wayne, the process for his Carbon Smoke drawings is: "I have to move continuously while the smoke pours out of the torch. If you have ever seen the film footage of Jackson Pollack painting it is a similar continuous movement, his with drips, mine with smoke and the added possibility of catching the drawing on fire. I enjoy the immediacy and physicality of drawing. The welding torch has the pressure turned down low which makes it sooty/smoky. Working back into the drawings with erasures and brushes reveals what's underneath and a clear fixative sets the soot in place (hopefully) and yes, I have burned the paper and will again."