I’ve wanted to explore looser, less defined shapes with my work after a recent conversation with an art consultant. It got me thinking about making cut paper designs based on scribbles. I started with a few scribbled drawings in a sketchbook to get the idea down on paper. I wanted to see if I could consciously doodle lines in a random way that could be interpreted in cut paper.

I quickly moved on to making a prototype by drawing looping lines and figuring out the best way to approach cutting it out. It felt like I needed to rethink how I did things because it’s a series of intersecting lines, and I have to plan ahead carefully on how and where to place cuts in relation to others.

I made this test piece from Japanese Gampi paper I bought in Toronto last year. I want to incorporate more diverse types of paper into my work than I’ve used in the past. This material cuts beautifully and is much sturdier than I’d realized.

The finished piece is different from my usual hand cut designs, at least at this first pass. I am excited by this idea and can’t wait to explore things further.