Featured Artist Sylvia Douglin

Artist Sylvia Douglin makes wildly creative, charming portraits using cardboard and upcycled materials. Visit her website to see more.

 

 

I am a retired corporate trainer who rediscovered a lifelong passion for art at the age of 71. Creativity has always been part of my identity. From a young age, I was captivated by faces and fashion. I began sketching at the age of four and later designed women’s clothing for a small clientele, constantly exploring ways to express myself visually.

 

 

For over 30 years, I worked in corporate America, developing leadership training programs that helped people grow professionally. While that work involved imagination and communication, it didn’t quite satisfy the artistic part of me. When I retired in 2024, I made a conscious decision to return to my artistic roots and dedicate myself fully to the creative life I had put on hold.

 

 

Now, I create portraits using only recycled cardboard and paper. Materials others discard or overlook—shoe boxes, shipping cartons, coffee sleeves, and paper bags—become my artistic tools. There is no paint or ink on my work.

 

 

Instead, every detail is cut, shaped, and layered by hand to form expressions, textures, and depth. Each piece is made with intention, care, and respect for the story behind the materials themselves.

 

 

My early portraits were mask-like and stylized, but as I grew more confident with the medium, I began to pursue realism. My current work is focused on capturing the human spirit and expression—portraying depth, individuality, and emotion through texture, shape, and subtle use of color.

 

 

Every portrait is one-of-a-kind, created not just from recycled paper, but also from memory, instinct, and life experience.

 

 

This phase of my life is about more than just making art; it’s about reinvention and reclaiming creativity with purpose. I see my work as a blend of sustainability, storytelling, and soul. Being an older artist gives me a deeper well to draw from, and I hope that my journey inspires others to embrace new beginnings at any age.

 

 

Through my portraits, I aim to give new life to overlooked materials and to remind us all that beauty, like purpose, can be rediscovered…layer by layer.

 

Sylvia Douglin invites you to follow on Instagram.

 

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