Tulsa Artist Creates Paper Collage Landscapes

There's something special about an artist working on a sidewalk who can draw strangers in for a closer look.

A Tulsa artist working along Route 66 has been doing just that for decades, capturing the attention of folks passing by while he works under the summer sun.

Retired TU professor Mark Lewis works outdoors a lot.

"I'm not going to miss a day like today," he said.

He's been standing on the sidewalk next to Buck Atom all summer long.

"I think of myself more as a blue-collar artist," Lewis said. "I just get up and go to work."

He's been doing that for decades. 

"To me, the streets are just a stage for daily life."

He creates urban landscapes out of hundreds of pieces of black and white paper. His captivating art caught the eye of a News On 6 crew more than a decade ago.

Related: Teacher, Street Artist Builds Images Of Tulsa

Friday was a reunion of sorts. Photojournalist Ty Lewis shot the story in 2012, and he was there again.

Mark Lewis isn't just out on the sidewalk by himself; he usually has a lot of people come by to see what he's doing.

"Oh my god, you are so talented," said Jennie Kreiner.

Kreiner was left in awe of Mark's work.

"I cannot believe he is doing that with paper," she said. "It is just so detailed."

"When I work down here, I meet people from all over the United States and all over the world," said Lewis.

A curious man from Switzerland took a keen interest in the process.

The curious strangers who approach Mark don't bother him. He might even include them in the collage itself.

"There was somebody walking a dog, and I thought that would be nice in as well," he said.

It could be a man drinking coffee or a highly detailed Buck Atom. They all come together to tell a story.

"I feel like I'm more like not taking a snapshot about the place, but writing a novel about the place maybe," Lewis said. "I think that's a nice way for me to think about it."

Mark's work will be featured in a gallery in New York this September, showing scenes from all over Tulsa.