During the mid-1980s I lived in a large metropolitan city near the sea. Returning home from dinner with family and friends, I would often find myself driving under big city lights along the promenade facing the sea .

One weekend I took a holiday at a nearby hillside resort that looked down on a river snaking through flooded rice fields and glinting in the sunlight.

Back from my holiday, I created paper mosaics that attempted to capture the mood evoked by these two sharply contrasting vistas.

A paper mosaic is composed of hundreds of paper snips individually glued down on a large expanse of stiff paper. Smaller snippets can be layered on top of larger ones to create depth. Not covering the canvas with paper creates negative space that can just as powerful.

Driving along a sea-facing promenade under big city lights on a full moon night. Paper mosaic created circa 1985.

Tracing the path of a river that glints in the dawn while snaking through rice fields. Paper mosaic created circa 1985.

Rice fields lush with greenery and flooded with monsoon water. Paper mosaic created circa 1985.

A contemporary artists who makes wonderful paper mosaics is Noirin van de Berg, who uses paper and double sided adhesive tape for her abstract designs.