Marlene White & The Paper Boat Den

  Welcome to The Paper Boat Den- a portal into my creative mind. It's a

a place where the viewer is welcome to scope the landscape of my work and set sail on a voyage bearing witness to my process. The paper boat has become a symbol of light and hope for me. It is the anchor that unites my work. This obsession with paper boats began as a child.  My mother gifted me a book with a road map of line drawings that guided my hands on a journey, transforming a flat, ordinary piece of paper into a three-dimensional paper boat. The final fold and pull felt like a magic trick.  
My obsession with paper boats resurfaced back into my life as an adult a few years after my mother's passing from cancer.  One day, I looked at a piece of paper and began folding it. The sequence of folding came naturally. The only difference was that my hands had aged, and my mother was no longer physically here. The repetition of folding became like a prayer and a way to visit my mother. I found a way to make peace with my internal storm. I was finally able to exhale and breathe. My fascination with paper boats has expanded visually and can be visited with the power of a carving tool, a pencil, a digital pen, and the breath of the brush.
 

The Paper Boat Den is located in Oakland, California, but with the magic of technology, we can meet up no matter our location and find the wind in our sail. Together, we can explore the crazy world that lives within me.