Allen and Patty Eckman create detailed cast paper sculptures inspired by Native American culture, using a special technique they themselves invented.

Allen Eckman took an interest in art and design after returning from Vietnam, where he served as a Sargent. He attended the Art Center College of Design, where he met Patty, who obviously shared his passion for the arts. They married, had kids and managed an advertising company in the Los Angeles area for about 12 years, after which they decided they had had enough of their stressful careers and agreed it was time for a fresh start in something they were truly passionate about, art.

Allen had discovered cast paper sculpture while photographing a brochure and immediately recognized its purity and the possibilities it had to offer. Cast paper sculpture originated in Mexico, around 1950, but the Eckmans developed their own technique, a proprietary trademark registered as the Eckman Method®. They first mix an acid -free paper pulp in their studio, then cast it into silicone rubber molds taken from original sculptures they created earlier. The paper is pressed using vacuum pressure, and the water is extracted in the same way. After the paper has dried completely in the mold, the hard cast is removed and the process of chasing, cast additions, cast alterations, sculpting and detailing begin. Creating one of their unbelievable paper sculptures is painstaking work tat can take up to several months.

The cast paper process is very similar to cast bronze, only the final product is lightweight, pure white and incredibly detailed thanks o the nature of the material used. While Patty is inspired by wildlife, birds and flowers, Allen Eckman is fascinated by his Indian heritage. His great, great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and he has always been interested in Native American culture, the western expansion and the American Civil War.

Photos via Eckman Fine Art