Screen Printing and Paper Cutting

During my artist residency at The Leeway a few years ago I had the opportunity to learn how to screen print, using my cut paper designs as printing stencils. I printed a pile of drawing paper with colours intending to eventually turn these into cut paper pieces. I finally pulled them out two weeks ago and started working with this printed paper to created a new series. I took inspiration for these designs and the series from line drawings I’d been doing in my 30 Days of Drawing Sketchbook earlier this year.

Paper cut from screen printed paper

Paper cut from screen printed paper

I don’t typically do much drawing when I work on a paper cut, but with these I’ve had to draw it all out on the back before I start. I don’t feel I can freehand cut something like this because it’s visually complicated. The lines are needed to guide the cutting.

I love this piece with the mottled colours of the paper showing through, and I actually wish they were more saturated and colourful. I’ve always avoided colourful or patterned paper with my work because I thought complicated designs were better with a simple colour palette.

Paper cut from screen printed paper

Paper cut from screen printed paper

I have about six or eight pieces of this screen printed paper, and I’m already working on the second piece in the series. Stay tuned for more!

Work In Progress: Repetition and Pattern in Blue

For one of the recent proposals I started roughing out an idea for an installation inspired by this classic Japanese textile pattern of repeating scalloped shapes. The version I started with looks dramatically different than the rest of the work in progress I am sharing here, but it was a rough prototype. I chose five different shades of blue paper to work with and have been playing around with patterns to incorporate into the piece, as well as spacing, and overall assembly.

Work in progress

Work in progress

Work in progress

Work in progress

These are four variations as I play around with adding more patterns to the pieces, and whether or not to cut all the shapes or leave them mixed with uncut pieces. I’m really enjoying working with colour in this. I think I’ve cut about eighty individual pieces of paper into a scallop shape with the goal of assembling a sizeable finished piece.

Pattern Play with Upcycled Envelope Paper

I created these pieces two weeks ago for an artist call application, and have been inspired by their mix of colours and patterns ever since. I shared work in progress of one of them in a previous blog post about revisiting recycled paper from security envelopes in my work again. It was a pleasant surprise all of this pattern mixing works as well as it does. Both pieces are approximately 9″ x 9″, and will go nicely into 12″ x 12″ shadowbox frames.

Pattern play

Pattern play

The pieces are inspired by a few different things, including quilting blocks and granny squares. I realized recently I should just acknowledge I am heavily inspired by textile art design and process in my approach to creating art from paper. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to bring my modular approach to installation in the type of work I create to fit into frames and hang on a wall. These two pieces feel closer to those ideas.

Pattern play

Pattern play

I had a lot of enjoyment in making these because I had to pull it together in a short amount of time in order to make a last minute deadline. I couldn’t over think it, so I made decisions about composition, material selection, and pattern choices as quickly as possible. It felt really good to work that way.

I want to make more of these pieces because I have lots more security envelope paper to make use of. In the meantime, my fingers are crossed these two get accepted into the show I submit them for.

Work In Progress With Envelope Paper

I’ve been focused on writing proposals rather than producing work over the last few weeks, but an opportunity that came up last minute with a short deadline led me to some very productive studio time this week. I needed to create a piece using recycled materials, which is something I used to do more with my altered book work. Luckily I still have plenty of reclaimed paper tucked away in the studio and I realized my collection of security envelopes was the perfect thing to use.

Work in progress with envelope paper

I’ve never used patterned paper in my cut designs before because I tend to think it’ll be too busy when combined with an intricately patterned composition. Based on the work in progress pictured here, I was wrong. It works really well.

Work in progress with envelope paper

This is one of the two pieces I created for the call for artists that was due last Friday. It explores an idea I’ve had in my head for about nine months combining patterns, and taking inspiration from quilting blocks. It was good to find a new way to use security envelopes in my work because I’ve always found the material extremely compelling, and I have a box full of it still to make use of.

Work in Progress: My Third Tyvek Scroll Completed

I ended the summer by finishing work on the third tyvek scroll. In the photos shared at the beginning of August I’d completed the larger design elements and the next stage was to do freeform cutting over the entire length of the piece. I chose to work on the floor for this part because I wanted to lay the tyvek flat so I could get a better sense of how the design flowed from end to end.

In the photo below you can see the container beside my work in progress full of off-cut pieces which I’ve collected during the making of this piece. I don’t usually do this but early on I decided to try and keep most of the tyvek bits, with the intention of using them in a related piece of work that still needs fleshing out.

Hand cut tyvek scroll

Hand cut tyvek scroll

I found this part of the work challenging because making a random pattern is hard for humans. Working on the floor was also not great for my back and knees so I made sure to take lots of stand up and stretch breaks.

Hand cut tyvek scroll

The finished piece is lovely and feels the most like a piece of textile art out of the three pieces. I was surprised by this when I finished it.

It feels amazing to bring this small series of three large pieces of work to completion after two and a half years. I’m already working on where and when to exhibit them all together next year.

Three Tyvek Scrolls

I took a few quick photos this morning of the three tyvek scrolls laid out together on the floor. I’m still working away on number three but I wanted to see how the previous two would look alongside it.

Untitled

I really do hope I can display these together in a gallery someday soon.

Work In Progress: My Third Tyvek Scroll

In paper cutting news, I started working on my third 7 foot long tyvek scroll in mid-July and it is going very well. I needed a big project to focus on for awhile and this one came to mind. I’ve been saving one last roll of tyvek to create the third in a series of these pieces and I realized the time to do it was now (or rather the now of a few weeks ago).

I chose to create a composition using the flowerburst motif I use often in my work. I almost got caught up in the need to do something new, but with these scrolls it is important to me to use the shapes and designs that have become personal symbols within my work.

Tyvek scroll in progress

Tyvek scroll in progress

I’ve been struggling with a lack of focus and motivation over the past few months, as well as a desire to set my art aside completely. Making art is the easy part of being an artist, but finding an audience, viable opportunities, and making a living feel impossible sometimes. I’ve wanted to give up, but I’m trying to make my way through this period of struggle and frustration. It’s not easy though.

Tyvek scroll in progress

Tyvek scroll in progress

This meditative and meaningful work has been guiding my way back to why I make work, so clearly it has been the right thing to work on.

Creating A Paper Cut Sample for a Workshop

I’ve been invited to teach a two day workshop on paper cutting at an arts festival happening out of town in mid-August. This will be the longest class I’ve taught in years, so I needed to do some planning and prototyping in preparation. The overall project is going to be a multi-layered paper cut shadow box scene, which I’m hoping will be an inspiring challenge for participants.

I’ve made two samples for the workshop. The leafy scene with the grey rabbit pictured here is the one I think will grab people’s attention, but I’ve also made one that is abstract with simple repeating shapes.

Workshop prototype

Workshop prototype

It was lovely to create this little scene entirely from paper. I had to pull it together before I went on holiday at the beginning of July because they needed an image to promote the workshop, and I needed to be clear with myself about how to teach the participants. I can only seem to do that through making a physical thing.

This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve made work with a rabbit. I’m starting to think I should make more work like this…

Whirls Revised with Colour

I originally shared this piece on the blog a couple months ago, and at the time I wasn’t convinced it was finished. It needed something but I wasn’t sure what that was. I’d originally intended to add colour to the piece but was hesitant to do so because I was afraid I would ruin it in the painting process. I recently convinced myself to go for it, and painted it using blue acrylic ink.

Whirls revised

Whirls revised

This is exactly what the piece needed. The colour has brought the design and idea behind it, of whirls and eddies in water, to life.

Circles and Triangles, One More Time

These are the fourth and fifth pieces in the series of designs using circles divided into triangles. As with the previous two I shared last week, they are hand cut from 8.5″ x 11″ card stock, and made to fit into 12″ x 12″ square frames. Having a few empty frames on hand and a desire to fill them with new work is what triggered the series.

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Detail and finished version of the white one pictured above, with detail and full view of the black one below.

Untitled

Untitled

There is so much more to do with this idea, and I also would love to see a few of the designs laser cut from wood.