Farewell, David
In-House Artist Leaves A Legacy Of Paper Sculptures
By Leslie Williams
Pauline Robinson Branch Librarian
Our beloved David Schlose will be retiring soon. A quiet soul, he is our shelver and in-house artist. Not only has he helped with all things books over the years, he has befriended customers and staff and shared wise stories about past careers and current events. We wanted to acknowledge him before he left, by dedicating this month’s article about him and sharing images of the paper sculptures he has folded by hand in his free time.
We asked Schlose to tell us about his journey at the library.
Leslie Williams: How long have you been at the library?
David Schlose: Five years and eight months — long enough to appreciate our community.
LW: Why did you want to work at the library?
DS: I LOVE books. I can learn and earn at the same time. How cool is that?
LW: What is your most enjoyable memory about being here?
DS: Laughter and camaraderie. Being able to make a positive contribution to the customers and the staff. And, of course, the sculptures.
LW: Tell us more about paper sculpturing past-time.
DS: While looking for an easy (and cheap) hobby, I discovered 3D paper sculptures – paper, knife and glue, how simple (ha ha!). I found a few (quite a few) patterns that I found appealing but I don’t have the wall space for these figures, so you and I discussed whether or not they would be appropriate for the library to display them. And now I can’t keep up (at least with patterns I want to build – dinosaurs, animals, Marvel and Star Wars characters like Black Panther and Yoda, Game of Thrones dragons). My original intention was to provide a couple of examples of dinosaurs, African wildlife and Colorado wildlife. My thought was that they might appeal to our young patrons, and add color and life to our environment. We took a poll with our young patrons choosing between six different figures and the “Rasta Lion” won.
A final note: Words cannot express the impact Schlose is leaving on our branch and community. We are grateful for his dedication and service over the past five years. Please stop into the Pauline Robinson Branch Library, at 5575 E. 33rd Ave. and say hello (and farewell) to him, and view his incredible paper sculptures.