Paper Menagerie

Phaedra Odelle tells stories with paper. Drawn to natural elements in unnatural settings, her two-dimensional collage works resonate on a level with psyches, dreams and memories. Her work often features gateways, or portals in various forms, representing the possibility for change, hope, potential, power, and confronting fears of the unknown. 

Phaedra creates a sense of unified integrity between images that don’t belong together. Found images from magazines, encyclopaedias, books, and many more sources become puzzle pieces waiting to be arranged in just the right way to tell the story. As she works, unexpected combinations of images become essential elements in each work of art, and the narrative unfolds into a refined and finished piece as surreal, ethereal and sensuously playful as the artist herself.