Style Imitating Art | Paper Sculptures by Karen Hawkins

This week’s Style Imitating Art challenge has inspired not one, but two outfits! Actually, it inspired a third outfit but I was so sick with a stomach bug that I could barely photograph the two featured here. Despite my illness, I went ahead with two outfits because it required just a quick change of accessories to create two totally different looks. And then I was forced into bed for a few days which is why I am a day late with this post. I am still struggling with my energy level but I am slowly coming back to myself.

About Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Marsha of Marsha in the Middle. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as presenter, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the presenter by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the presenter will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join either! In fact, you don’t even have to join but you can still use the art to inspire an outfit just for the sake of trying something different. If you want to share your inspired outfit, we invite you do so on Instagram or any other social media platform that you prefer. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Shelbee, or Marsha or use #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!

This Week’s Presenter

It was my turn to choose the artwork. Since our last 10 artworks have been abundant with varieties of colors, I decided to pick a more neutral piece for this challenge. Actually, I am going to use the artist’s entire portfolio as our inspiration. But not all of them are neutral! Below I am only sharing the two pieces that inspired my outfits, but if you click on the links below you can view Karen Hawkins’ entire portfolio. It is worth the click, for sure!

I loved the idea of featuring artwork that upcycles old books for this week of Earth Day as well. I am all about doing whatever we can to save our environment including, but not limited to, creating artwork from old, unwanted, obsolete things. I am currently in the planning process of a huge home project using pages from old books as well. I am excited to share it but first I need to start it and finish it!

The Artwork

Paper Sculptures by Karen Hawkins

About the Artist: Karen Hawkins

Karen Hawkins is a multi-media sculpture artist based in Austin, Texas, who graduated with a degree in fine arts from the University of Texas. Her gallery exhibitions and private collections across the country have gained her widespread recognition for her innovative interpretations of books and their structure and content.

As a lifelong book lover, Karen’s goal is to transform the function of books from their familiar and traditional purpose by reinterpreting them into something new and visually meaningful. Using old books, expired resource materials, and other paper ephemera, she creates meaningful pieces of art in the form of paper sculptures.

As we get further into the digital age, traditional books have been replaced by e-books and audio books causing the centuries-old paper book format to become merely archaic objects which we simply observe. In an attempt to further objectify books, Karen creates her art with the intention of keeping books purposeful in the age of technology. The sculptures she creates give the viewer a sense of nostalgia that they can relate to on a personal level depending on their own lifelong relationship with books.

Included in her diverse body of work are sculptural wall hangings, large-scale site-specific installations, and non-traditional art installations that address relevant social concerns, all created by upcycling the pages of obsolete books.

A true child of the 1970s, Karen embraces her carefree spirit by infusing both her work and her personal style with the bold energy which represents that decade. In addition to her artistic devotion, her greatest passion is her family. She currently resides in Austin with her husband, Rick, and their two dogs, Maxx and Stanley, and enjoys spending quality time with their 5 children and 4 grandchildren. If you are in the Austin, Texas area, you can book a private in-person tour of Karen’s studio by registering here.

In April 2018, Karen debuted The Pink Bow Project at Gallery Shoal Creek in Austin, Texas, during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, she wanted to draw attention to the voices of other survivors. She amassed 52,000 pink bows to represent the number of reported child sexual abuse cases documented each year.

This large scale installation is meant to envelope the viewer as visitors are met with fifty-two 9’x4’ sheer panels hanging from the ceiling, each adorned with 1,000 pink hair bows, a powerful symbol of girlhood innocence. As you walk through the gallery space, you are then met with an audio component of victims’ voices with the first being Karen’s own voice stating, “My name is Karen, I was 10 years old.”

If you also are a victim of childhood sexual abuse, you can have your voice added to the ever-evolving audio component for this installation through Karen’s #MakeYourVoiceHeard initiative by clicking the link and then hitting the “Record Here” button.

About the Art: Paper Sculptures

I chose two different paper sculptures for my outfit inspiration, the mandalas and the totems.

The mandalas were created using the cut and folded pages of romance novels. Karen begins her process by selecting the books based on their size and unique characteristics. The next step involves cutting and folding the pages into specific geometric shapes and then arranging and assembling the folded forms into a cohesive design which forms a completed mandala structure. Placing each piece with intention, Karen’s final artwork is an illustration of geometric precision in a balanced and symmetrical composition that draws the viewer in. Her signature mandala paper sculptures usually measure 48 x 48 inches (121.92 x 121.92 cm).

The totems were developed as a symbolic veneration of the traditional book structure. By folding the pages of individual books into a variety of geometric shapes, Karen creates different forms, each revealing the typeface on the pages. As the text and images on the pages become skewed from their original version, Karen’s totems invite the viewer to question exactly what they are viewing. She frequently displays her totems hanging from the ceiling or placed on pedestals. The totems are large scale sculptures measuring between 7 to 11 feet (213.26 to 335.28 cm) in height and roughly 18 inches (45.72 cm) in diameter.

Helpful Links:

• Karen Hawkins Studio
• Karen Hawkins Studio on IG
• Karen Hawkins Studio on FB
• Bale Creek Allen Gallery: Karen Hawkins
• Laura Rathe Fine Art: Karen Hawkins
• Gorgeous Studio Paper Art | Karen Hawkins Studio Visit (Video)
• Resident: Karen Hawkins’ Pink Bow Project

About My Outfits

Outfit 1: Mandala

Originally, I chose these sculptures partially because of their neutral color palettes. But upon closer examination, you will see that there is nothing neutral about these works. The details of the mandala reveal shades of vibrant yellow among the black typeface on white pages. It was the yellow that struck me most and prompted me to style this new Hana 3/4 Sleeve Open Front Satin Topper. I added this beautiful topper to my recent Soft Surroundings haul of clearance items, scoring it for $39.97, a significant reduction from its original price of $119.95.

The third outfit I had planned but never got to photograph due to illness, included this gorgeous topper with my old yellow velvet pleated midi skirt. I loved the idea of pleats to represent the folded books pages but I just didn’t have the energy to put it all together. However, I will definitely be styling this topper with that skirt in the fall.

For this outfit, I went with my old basic formula of leggings and a tunic, keeping the entire base layer as a column of black. I did this on purpose so I could quickly and easily change my accessories for the second outfit. I included black accessories from my boots to my hat to my scarf with yellow, red, and blue tassels. Then I added gold jewelry including my thrifted sequined owl necklace, a triple strand gold necklace, and brand new gold and burgundy evil eye earrings that I picked up at Earthbound Trading Company last weekend because one of the earrings I was wearing that day broke.

It was a simple outfit but very much my style and it allowed this stunning yellow floral topper to shine in the best way possible.

Outfit 2: Totems

I had planned to only share the one outfit inspired by the mandalas until I was wearing this newly thrifted ruana and noticed how perfectly it reflected the colors of the center totem in the image above. If you zoom in closer on the darker totem in the middle, you can see hints of blues and burgundies among the black and white of the book pages. The patchwork print of the drapey topper also reminded me of the rectangular shape of the book pages in their original form.

To create this second look inspired by the totems, I kept the black base layer including my tasseled scarf and switched to my white cowgirl boots and white Panama hat to bring some of that lighter color into the mix. To tie the whites together, I kept the same jewelry on but added my ivory horn necklace for some extra cohesiveness in the look.

Another simple outfit but completely true to my style.

I hope you have enjoyed this round of Style Imitating Art. If you want to play along and create your own outfit inspired by these amazing paper sculptures, I will feature you in my gallery post tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Just be sure to submit your photos to me at shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com by 10:00 p.m. EST tonight, April 21, 2026. In the meantime, be sure to check out Salazar’s interpretation as well as Marsha’s take on it. 

Until then, happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee