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Updates

Fall 2023: Betty is cautiously returning to in-person events. Please practice social distancing and masking if you plan to attend these events. You are welcome to use the contact form if you wish to purchase anything from the Artwork page or would like to commission a piece of custom work.

About the Artwork

St. Louis artist Betty Shew’s PaperArt captures the detail, texture and beauty of live flowers and nature items through an intricate molding process. The flowers and items are arranged in bouquets or groups and often have the feel of a botanical study.
Using these molds, she creates 3-dimensional embossed paper castings using pulp made from 100% cotton and natural fibers. Each piece is made completely by hand by compacting the fibers in a mold. This process results in unique, one-of-a-kind works of art.

After the handmade paper is dry, the casting can be removed from the mold, resulting in a 3-dimensional paper representation of the original object. The embossed art pieces can be left natural, or finished with acrylic paint used in a transparent watercolor technique.