Bending paper sculptures get their unique appearance from the hand-forming soggy paper into a coherent natural form; and begin life as perfectly flat templates of pre-cut newspaper or construction paper. The sculptures below are the result of a playful, willful exploration of space, motion and relationships.
For your exquisite pleasure and mine: Gordon takes on bending paper as birds, fish, plants and people.
1. Five Wings Sculpture (Two-Piece, 2022, 11’’ Tall) – The original bending paper sculpture captures a floating duck dreaming of five wings. The wings balance on a post the size of a quarter. Putting a small object at the center of the wings has a profound effect on viewing this sculpture. A well placed mini-earth orb changes the context of the dream entirely.
2. Celebrity Sculpture (Two-Piece, 2024, 16” Tall) -This sculpture screams, “Look at me!” The celebrity is a tuna fish bone atop cactus driftwood. The points of the five rib/leafs suggest adorning fans. That the fish bone has two potential heads (depending on viewing angle) suggests a public/private persona.
3. Three Trees (#1) Sculpture (2025, 11” tall) – Inspired by the mother of all mother trees photographed not 100m from Franz Joseph Bay V.I. B.C.: three full-sized (100-300 year old) spruce giants growing out of the same (long gone) mother tree. The center tree is suspended 2 meters above the ground. The tops of the three tress in the sculpture mirror the view of looking up into a forest canopy of tall conifers. The center of sculpture’s base is of course missing.
4. Three Leaf Vase ( 2025, 12” Tall) Here the goal was to make those long tall stalks appear ultra-curvy. The curves between the stalks and leaves mirror the curves on the outside of the vase. Accidentally brilliant.
5. Soaring Ballerina (#2) Sculpture (2025, Two-piece, 14” Length) – This ballerina flying through space is all about the relationship between the three sweeping curves and the turn at the front of the sculpture. Gordon made four ballerina sculptures, two large, two small. The original small ballerina (#1) was gifted to V Timmims who inspired it.
6. Small Ballerina (#4) Sculpture ( 2026, Two-Piece, 9” Length) Shorter arms inspired more daring curves on the small ballerinas. This particular ballerina is the only one without boobs.
7. Breaking Wave (#1) Sculpture (2026, 10” Length) This sculpture represented a new style of bending paper sculpture; just four planes (pieces of paper). The inner plane being bent like a breaking wave (or a misshapen upside-down ballerina), with the other three planes shaped as a backbone or if you are a sailor, a keel.
8. Breaking Wave (#2) Sculpture (2026, 11” Length) Impressed with the expressive nature of the first wave, another one was started immediately—with longer legs and low-rider attitude.
Both breaking wave sculptures rock like a rocking chairs on their keels.
9. Four Points Sculpture (2026, 14” Wide) How to fix a sculpture that said nothing? I saved the sea anemone base and replaced the listless wings with strong angular arms and overwhelming focal point.
10. Standing Bear Sculpture (2025, 17” Tall) Not much bending paper here, but it did start from a flat template. Then countless layers of bear shaped paper were applied. It was intended as a wall hanging (hence the flat back) then converted to a free-standing sculpture. Everything about this sculpture points to the intersection of head, chest and arms.
