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We’ve seen the intricate cars, engines, bicycles and other machinations of civilization created out of cardboard by artist Chris Gilmour ^[5]: bafflingly accurate and detailed for the imprecise medium. Artist Mark Langan ^[6], in contrast, creates sculptural works that are inspired by the form of cardboard itself, celebrating its grooves and textures. This work demands a kind of respect and awe for its material, which the artist collects from his own neighborhood.

Commissioned work for Mid-States Packaging in Lewiston, Ohio

Langan dos not use any computer rendering to visualize a project: he sketches it the old-fashioned way, by drawing it out on a piece of paper. Each piece is built through a process of cutting, layering, and sealing with a non-toxic glue. For a more sculptural texture, the artist will run his cardboard through a paper-shredder and make it into a putty with glue and water.

A completely self-taught artist, Langan dedicated himself full-time to his corrugated masterpieces after being laid off from an office job. Some of the pieces are more overt proponents of the green lifestyle than others: one pieces says “Waste: it’s what haste makes” while in another, Uncle Sam ^[7] declares “I want YOU to recycle” (above). Most of the works, however, are elegantly trimmed celebrations of a cast-off material. It’s the grown-up version of playing with cardboard boxes.

+ Mark Langan ^[6]