Marie José Gustave, Visual Artist, and her Use of Cardboard

This contemporary artist works with recycled cardboard and her use of objects and installations merge design with art based upon her passion for craft. This led her to master industrial production processes as well as to develop a skill set that includes sewing, knit, crochet, and weave along with paper moulding. But her love affair with cardboard came from a more practical encounter. When moving to Quebec from France she was left with numerous cardboard packing boxes, so she began to experiment with the material. The boxes never left and instead she developed a strong body of work that shows the beauty of this recyclable and biodegradable material.

At the centre of this artists creative process is the need to convert cardboard from its original intention through a series of exploratory relationships in practice. The conceptual approach is led by design and contemporary craftsmanship which emulates fine art. There is noted concern for man and environmental change, of the need to be mindful of the environment. Marie José Gustave continues to focus upon paper discovery and the consumption of paper waste to create “The Little Papers” which highlight reuse from within meaningful and beautiful objects and installations. There is a real sense of textural richness from the worked cardboard. It seems to be an innovative way to work with the cardboard which has room for further development.

This material has been taken to another level and has prototyped a new way of thinking about cardboard as a valid choice of material for art, decor, and design. There is a noted enjoyment from diverting the material to make it soft and flexible, to find its transparency, shape in another form, of designing and making 3-dimensional works with simple shapes and organic textures.

From reviewing the work of this artist, I aim to develop my artwork on and around recycled cardboard using both print and weave alongside a range of mixed media.