To the average person, paper is something to write or print on and then discard (preferably in the recycling bin). To Amy Eisenfeld Genser, it’s the medium with which she creates her highly textured, one-of-a-kind art works. We’re proud to offer three of her uniquely compelling pieces: Float, White Undulation and four White Texture Squares.

To the average person, paper is something to write or print on and then discard (preferably in the recycling bin). To Amy Eisenfeld Genser, it’s the medium with which she creates her highly textured, one-of-a-kind art works. We’re proud to offer three of her uniquely compelling pieces: Float, White Undulation and four White Texture Squares.

Genser creates her works by first painting her canvas, then rolling, gluing and cutting up thin, fibrous paper, often from Japan or Thailand, into round modules. Finally, these modules are glued to the canvas one at time in a painstaking, month-long process. “It's like putting together a puzzle. I don't know how the final picture will look until I see it,” Genser says. 

As is evident in her work, which is reminiscent of topographical maps of otherworldly landscapes, Genser is inspired by the natural world. For Float, her references include snorkeling, barnacles and coral reefs. White Texture Squares were inspired by her love of quilting—“I am obsessed with the quilts of Gee’s Bend”—the patchwork appearance of landscape viewed from the air, African textiles and aboriginal art. And the jumping-off point for White Undulation was lichens, multiplying cells, growth and subtle color.

Though she originally intended to make her career in graphic design, Genser fell in love with paper while she was a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design. “I decided to give the paper mixed-media artwork a go for about two years and see what happened,” she says. “I've now been working in this method for 10 years. Never did become that graphic design professor like I planned.”