© 2018 Encore Publications/Brian Powers

As a writer, I get to meet so many interesting people.

Kalamazoo area artist, Renae Baumgart of Renae’s Rip Studio, is one of those people – with an unusual medium: wall paper.  She rips it into bits to create amazing portraits.  Of animals.

Of the moon and stars.

Of childhood imaginings.

How did this start?  Her son’s bird, Bella.

“Naughty” Bella ripped wallpaper off the walls of Renae’s Victorian home.  She tore wallpaper to patch it.  One day Renae wondered: “What if I ripped wallpaper into portraits…?”

See what happened next.  Click on Renae’s story published in Encore below.  And check back next week to see the latest news on Renae.

 All Torn Up