Creatures Created from Tissue

by Nawshin Ali - Gazette Staff Writer

From The Indiana Gazette, vol 96, No. 327, July 20, 2000

Indiana PA--Gene Fenton has a knack for doing things with tissue paper the rest of us wouldn't even think of.

He's a papier mache artist.

Fenton, who lives in Indiana, will be exhibiting his tissue-paper creatures at the New Growth Arts Festival this weekend.

In fact, his creatures have been showing up all over the place these days.

"I've been exhibiting a lot this summer," he said.

Fenton has exhibited at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and at Studio Z in Pittsburgh for the past couple of years. This will be his first time exhibiting at the New Growth Arts Festival.

Although Fenton attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania art school, it wasn't school that led him to become a papier mache artist, he said. It started out as a hobby five years ago.

He said he became interested in papier mache because the materials were cheap and because it was easy to clean up, unlike clay sculpting or other more expensive and messier art forms.

Once he was hooked, he began finding ways to innovate his art.

"I do a lot of experimenting with it," he said. I've been experimenting with different paints."

Through his experimenting he discovered that tissue paper worked better than the thicker, more traditional newsprint that's used in papier mache. Now all his creatures are made of tissue.

Fenton also does printmaking and photography.

In fact, he takes photos of his papier mache creaures.

"I like to take pictures of them outside," he said. "And make them look really big."

Sounds like Godzilla with a splash of color.

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