Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Belanger.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello! My name is Caroline Belanger. I’m an artist and small business owner who lives and works in Dallas, Texas. I’ve always been creative. I grew up all over the world (Australia and Colombia, you will always have a place in my heart!) and studied painting in Paris en route to London, where I earned my master’s degree in art history. After graduation, I moved on to the business side of the art world, first as a gallerist and then as a consultant, where I’ve been lucky to work with some fantastic artists, collectors, curators, and dealers. Thanks to studio visits and deep conversations, I’ve managed to continue my art education along the way as well. I’m beyond fascinated with the artistic process, even if I didn’t make anything myself for years. But one very big thing changed all of that: motherhood.
Some “critics” say that female artist lose their edge when they become mothers. I feel quite the opposite. Creating life inspired me to create again… a lot. I wanted to paint, color, make playhouses out of boxes, and just be “crafty” in general. My daughter’s years as a toddler—that glorious age where children need to be constantly entertained—were a real goldmine in particular. Since she’s always loved art, it’s how we spent a lot of our time together. If she wanted to paint, then we painted. If she wanted to draw, then we drew. Truth be told, I don’t know who enjoyed it more!
After a while, the boxes that I’d begun filling with the art that my daughter made or that we created together got pretty full. I didn’t really want to throw it all away, but I also didn’t want to store it. So, I thought about how I could transform it into something that I would want to hang on the wall. I started playing around with simple circle cut-outs from pre-school works, arranged them in an homage to Damien Hirst, and promptly had a lightbulb moment. This could be a business.
Once my daughter started elementary school, I had fewer excuses for sidelining my creativity. Yet my “big magic” idea (á la Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic) floated around me for a few more years until a good friend asked me to help make an art project with the kids at the school for a fundraiser. Something told me that if I didn’t run with it right then and there, someone else would. And here we are! I ended up branding myself as Paper Scissors Art because in the future, I aim for this to be bigger than just me, providing an opportunity for other emerging artists to create and monetize their own concepts.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest one is… myself. If I’m being honest, I was scared at the beginning. Was I good enough to make art that people would actually want to buy? Did I have enough time? Would I make enough money? Did I even have enough capital to get this thing off the ground? What if I failed again? In 2017, I’d put my energies into opening an art space for emerging artists. There was great press coverage, a packed opening reception (200+ people attended), and plenty of red dots on the wall at the end of the night. But sadly, I’d aligned myself with the wrong partner, in the wrong area, at the wrong time. Drama ensued. It was hard, but the best choice was to walk away. I’d mourn the loss for a few years.
Today, I’m nothing but grateful. The experience enabled me to discover that I was capable of far more than I thought I was. I’d taught myself new skills like website design and e-commerce. I’d gained valuable insight into what people were looking for when buying art. I’d rallied community support. I now tap into all of these things when creating art with personal meaning at a reasonable price point. I’ve come full circle.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My focus as an artist is working with paper. Paper is readily available to all, but not everyone sees it the way that I do. I love the way it feels between your fingers. It can be delicate and strong at the same time. Paint, pencil, and ink all meet their surface and distribute in different ways. It has the potential to bring joy to others, whether through collecting memories or illustrating imagination.
Since I launched Paper Scissors Art, I’ve focused on using paper to create bespoke art, which basically means customizing a piece of art to fit a client’s taste and use. I either choose from my existing portfolio of ideas or create a new concept. My niche has been taking children’s art that might otherwise be disposed of and transforming it into a work of art with deep personal meaning, one that suits someone’s carefully curated art collection and home décor. I also create my own original works for those who admire my aesthetic. Simply put, my art is pretty and bright. My goal is that you feel happy when you look at it!
I take painted papers and cut them into shapes like butterflies, flower petals, paper airplanes, stars, and birds. I incorporate these silhouettes into arrangements both abstract and representational. There can be butterflies swarming together into the shape of a heart or taking off into the sky or stars falling from the sky inspired by the colors of a twilight horizon in West Texas. The results are the same: colorful, delicate, and three-dimensional objects d’art.
What were you like growing up?
For me, childhood was organized chaos. We were constantly moving because of my father’s job. I’m an only child too, so I wound up entertaining myself a lot of the time: if I wasn’t singing and dancing around the living room, then I was quietly sitting at a table drawing or painting. It wasn’t always easy. However, the trade-off was that I was able to travel the world extensively. By the time I was 18, I’d experienced the food, culture, and art of at least 25 countries and 5 continents. I visited the Louvre as a 4-year-old, toured former East Germany only a few years after the Berlin Wall came down, admired the Royal Palaces in Bangkok and Kyoto, saw the Panama Canal, and climbed Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) in Australia. I always appreciate how incredibly lucky and privileged I was to have these experiences. They stimulated my senses in a way that continues to inspire me to this day. In fact, I often tell my mother that it’s her fault that I became an artist because she took me to see so many beautiful things!
Pricing:
- $50.00 – $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paperscissorsart.com
- Instagram: @paper_scissors_art
Image Credits
Rob Belanger
