From Canvas to Monumental Possibilities: The Next Evolution of Dimensional Art

For years, my work has been about one idea: bringing art beyond the canvas.

I developed my own process of sculpting paper by hand, building dimensional forms directly onto a support and completing the finished surface in oil paint. The result exists somewhere between painting and sculpture. Some of my original works extend as much as eight inches outward, allowing light and shadow to continually change the way the artwork is experienced.

Now I am exploring what happens when that dimensional art moves beyond the physical scale of the original.

From an Original Artwork to Architectural Scale

Advances in digital capture and 3D fabrication are opening possibilities that simply weren't available when I began developing my technique.

An original dimensional painting can potentially be digitally captured in three dimensions, preserving the contours, texture, movement and sculptural character of the hand-created surface. That digital information can then become the foundation for a much larger fabricated installation.

Imagine an original 36 × 48-inch dimensional painting potentially becoming a 15 × 20-foot installation.

The goal isn't simply to make a larger copy of a painting. It is to take the dimensional qualities of the original artwork and translate them into an entirely new scale and environment.

One original. Monumental possibilities.

Art That Becomes Part of the Environment

This changes how I think about where my work can live.

Instead of being limited to a traditional gallery wall, dimensional art could potentially become part of a museum exhibit, architectural interior, hotel or resort, healthcare environment, public space, restaurant, entertainment venue or immersive experience.

I'm particularly excited about the possibilities for my wildlife and nature artwork.

Imagine a sculpted bear incorporated into a natural-history museum environment, an elk becoming part of an immersive wildlife exhibit, or dimensional flowers integrated into an educational nature installation.

These are currently conceptual installations, but they demonstrate something important: art doesn't necessarily have to remain confined to its original dimensions.

Museums, Wildlife and Education

This new direction has led me to begin exploring opportunities with museums, nature centers, zoos, conservation organizations and educational institutions.

Wildlife has always been especially suited to dimensional art. Fur, feathers, petals, bark and other natural textures take on a very different presence when they physically emerge from the surface.

At a larger scale, those qualities could potentially become part of the visitor's experience rather than simply something viewed from across a room.

For me, that's an exciting evolution.

The artwork can begin as something created entirely by hand and ultimately become part of the environment surrounding the viewer.

Learning How Monumental Art Is Made

I'm also beginning another important part of this journey: learning directly from the people who create large-scale installations.

Creating an architectural-scale dimensional artwork involves much more than simply sending an image to a 3D printer.

Digital scanning, engineering, materials, fabrication methods, structural requirements, modular construction, surface finishing, color reproduction, mounting and installation can all become part of the process.

I plan to connect with large-scale 3D fabrication specialists as well as the exhibit-design and fabrication companies that create environments for museums, nature centers and other institutions.

I want to understand what is technically possible—and how my original sculpted surfaces can best be translated while maintaining the character of the artwork that inspired them.

The Original Will Always Begin by Hand

Technology is an exciting part of this next chapter, but it isn't replacing the way I create my art.

Quite the opposite.

Every concept begins with an original Michelle Larsen dimensional painting.

Paper is shaped, layered and sculpted by hand. The surface is hardened into permanent relief. Oil paint is then worked across the peaks, folds, recesses and contours of the sculpture.

Only after that original exists does technology enter the conversation.

That's an important distinction to me.

The technology expands the scale. The art still begins by hand.

Where Could This Lead?

That's the question I'm most excited about.

A painting that begins in my studio could potentially become a monumental museum installation. A wildlife work could inspire an educational environment. An abstract sculptural surface could become part of an architectural interior. An original artwork could become the starting point for an immersive space.

I don't believe art has to stop at the edge of the canvas.

After years of pushing my paintings physically outward, I'm now looking at how far they might ultimately go.

Bringing Art Beyond the Canvas

This next chapter for Michelle Larsen Studios brings together traditional hand craftsmanship, dimensional painting and emerging fabrication technology.

I will be sharing more of the process as I learn, experiment and begin conversations with museums, exhibit designers, architects and fabrication specialists.

The original artwork is still where everything starts.

The possibilities for where it can go are becoming much bigger.

One original. Monumental possibilities.

— Michelle Larsen

Michelle Larsen Studios