After learning (via Amy Karol at Angry Chicken) about Elsa Mora’s blog completely devoted to the art of paper cutting and becoming thoroughly charmed and impressed with Mora’s skill and talent, I decided to search for vintage materials at the Library on the subject. I was most taken with a 1920s-era German book called Spitzenbilder, Papierschnitte, Porträtsilhouetten by Max Bucherer, which contains a charming selection of cut paper silhouettes, country scenes, and other patterns. The two here (above and below) are some of my favorites.
Tomorrow I’ll share one of my own DIY projects, using papercut stencils I found in another library book.
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Don’t forget about Kara Walker, a phenomenal contemporary artist that uses paper cut-outs to talk about memory, race, violence, justice; all the things hidden in those 18th and 19th century portraits of (white) people.
http://tinyurl.com/5vhbvg
http://www.whitney.org/www/exhibition/kara_walker/index.html
Her work is stunning in person, and I think it’s a reminder for all of us to remember the social history of art as well. Looking forward to the DIY idea!
Papercuts are so awesome and wonderfully graphic. This is one of my favorite papercut artists.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5204464
Another awesome Papercut blog is Scherenschnitte at http://papercutting.blogspot.com/
She also has links to some other fabulous artists … Su Blackwell is one of my faves
i am crazy about papercuts, as well. and please excuse my shameless plug… http://www.flickr.com/photos/theantibride/1520591882/in/set-72157594281015102/
They are very sweet papercuts! I’d love to see some of that intricate, delicate stuff in the glass etching you did on the kitchen jars.
I’m sure there must be some tricky technological slash scientific method to detect the edges of the drawing and cut the bits out … sure, it takes all the skill out of it, but you still get the very cool jars.
Perhaps you could trace the edges of the designs with something to dent them a little, then brush water (or a weak acid solution – vinegar?) on to sit in the dents, which would help you just pull the middle pieces out.
Come on people, we can put a man on the moon … !
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