Arlington based painter and collagist, Justine Curran, has been honing her skills in design and painting for over 10 years. Originally a scenic artist for theatres, Justine blended her theatre design background with her current acrylic painting style. Justine’s evolution into woven painted paper allowed her to mix her love of color, texture and fearless ability to chop up her work to make something new. This art form has allowed her to challenge the boundaries of art making knowing that something beautiful will always come from taking risks.

Have you ever had a project that just wasn't turning out the way you saw it in your mind? You just want to tear it up and start over? Well, that is how Justine discovered her love for paper weaving. She started her artistic journey cutting up past colorful abstract paintings and weaving them back together. Her interest in collage came shortly after when she explored the pages of old books and scrap papers. Using books and comics as a weaving medium has allowed her to add a new layer of story to her work. Each piece has hidden images and words that pair with the bird that is perched with them. As we keep moving towards a "paperless" society Justine finds herself collecting each used book and comics she finds to archive its contents in her work. We all have a story and Justine hopes these works speak to yours.