Mark Khaisman Paints with Packing Tape

Mark Khaisman “paints” portraits with packing tape. Khaisman often uses “recognizable cultural icons” as the focus of his artwork.

Mark Khaisman’s site includes some great insite into his thinking and process.

How would you describe the style of your work?
My works are large archetypal representational images, made from layer upon layer of translucent packing tape, applied to clear Plexiglas and placed in front of a light box to give the image shadow and depth. I see my tape art as a form of painting. The 2-inch tape acts as a wide brush, and the light behind the panels as an alchemist’s luminous blending medium. In working with tape, like in painting, accident and control are always present.

How you came to working with tape?
My Tape Art is a conversation with light. I started it like a traditional stained glass artist, but with tape: I found I could continue my conversation with light, but in a more expedient manner. I might have never thought of this “medium” if not for my working in stained glass. Yet, tapes happened to be much more than just a replacement of the stained glass medium. It miraculously bonded together all my previous experiences.

You’re painting with tape. Do you sometimes start to work intuitional or do you always have a plan for your next piece?
I always have a plan. I go by motivation: I conceive an idea and live with it, and if in a while it still feels right to me, I work on it. Working with tape is like entering the chaos, or like swimming in the stormy ocean – very difficult, requires full concentration and estimation, otherwise I will not make it through. Nevertheless, sometimes one has to let go and trust the waves. Working with tape is like balancing between those two polarities: calculation and letting go.

Checkout Mark Khaisman’s website for more great artwork and information.