Gillian Taylor, paper artist

I make collections of tiny envelopes, flowers and boats, using different kinds of papers including maps, books, music, old postcards and letters. 

I’m interested in how we communicate and how that has changed over the years. It’s not often we send or receive handwritten letters now, and I’m fascinated with the memories shared in them.

The collections are also inspired by my interest in insects. As a child, I was fascinated by collections of beetles in museum cases, and my framed envelope collections reflect this.

I’ve created larger installations using paper poppies made from copies of love letters written during the Second World War. Hints of messages of love from long ago are visible on the poppies.

I’ve also been taking photographs of the sky since the beginning of lockdown. You can see some of the images in The Coolest Colour exhibition at Powderham Castle, Devon along with a paper cello, some love letter envelopes and paper boats.