Artist Positions Cardboard Cutouts In Front Of Gorgeous Sunsets To Produce Entertaining Vignettes
May 29, 2020 by apost team
John Marshall is an artist with diverse set of interests. He's a professional writer, he's volunteered around the globe and he has an unusual but altogether fanciful hobby of creating cardboard silhouettes and photographing them against gorgeous sunsets near his home in Maine. He has been posting photographs of his unique creations on social media for years under the name "Sunset Selfies."
All photos were used with the explicit permission of John Marshall.
John creates fantastical situations involving himself in the silhouettes with the aid of just a few household materials — cardboard, scissors and duct tape to smooth out the edges. The magical spark in these projects is the incredible imagination he has to think of these whimsical tableaux, which include photos of cat and frog juggling, aliens serving pizza, perching in a kangaroo's pouch, giving trolls a haircut and playing guitar with Kermit the frog.
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All photos were used with the explicit permission of John Marshall.
He told Daily Mail that he got the idea to make these silhouette pieces while he was taking photos of the sunset near his house. He cut an alligator head out of a beer box to wear on his own head and loved the result. He continued with other ideas after that and hasn't stopped since. He started his Instagram account in 2015 and has since posted the creative photographs there as well as on Facebook where he's built a following around his inventive work.
"The cut-outs don't look like much at first. They're rough, held together by duct tape," John told Daily Mail. But when they're back-lit, all their imperfections fall away. I'm always surprised by what I get. As a writer, I spend too much time sitting down, so I love to step away from all that, get on the floor, draw something, cut it out, and go enjoy the beautiful sunset outside. It's a very organic process, like being a kid again."
As a writer, John wrote Wide-Open World, documenting the his journey as he accompanied his wife and two teenaged children to volunteer around the world in 2010. The Marshall family spent time in orphanages across the globe, and John spent a year in an Indian orphanage in 2014. Of the experience he says:
"Spending time at the orphanage and volunteering with kids all over the world were powerful reminders that creative play is good for you," he told reporters. "Which is really what my Sunset Selfies are all about."
All photos were used with the explicit permission of John Marshall.
It's an incredible hobby for a person with a unique artistic background. What do you think of John's creations and backstory? What would you like John to make next? Let us know and pass these whimsical photos on to your friends and family members.