Cut Paper Sculpture: Cube

February 11, 2014

I have a few undocumented paper sculptures that pre-date this one, but because this cube is small I can do it more quickly than the others. These are photos I lit with a desk lamp and photographed with my iPhone. Simple. Quick. Done

The cube is a work in progress for a larger series of small paper sculptures I want to make for an upcoming show. I see them as a collection of paper cut objects, piled one on top of another, and casting interesting shadows.

This first one is a prototype that turned out a bit wonky because my measurements were a bit off. I used a digital cutter to create the form and cut the design by hand. I think these are the first paper cut sculptures I’ve made with black paper instead of white, and am curious to see how they work as a grouping of pieces.

Hot Talks @ Hot Art Wet City with Valerie and Arnt Arntzen

February 6, 2014

I’m excited to welcome Valerie and Arnt Arntzen as the featured speakers for Hot Talks at Hot Art Wet City in February. They are a creative married couple of working artists, and have been part of the Vancouver art scene in significant ways for the last twenty years.

Valerie and Arnt Arntzen are a couple who have been together for 35 years and have worked in the creative field since the early 80s. They are both mad collectors of found objects: from helicopter wings to bedsprings. Collaborating is an essential part of their relationship as husband and wife as well as artists.

Read the full description of their talk.

Join us for the latest Hot Talk on February 27th at 7pm. Tickets are by donation and are available for purchase through Eventbrite.

Hot Talks: Valerie & Arnt Arntzen
Hot Art Wet City
Date: February 27th, 2014
Time: Doors 6:30, talk 7pm
Address: 2206 Main Street, Vancouver

Meditative Drawing

February 4, 20142 Comments

On Friday afternoon I found myself doodling with a silver gel pen on card stock, not with any purpose in mind or end goal. I wanted to keep my hands moving while my mind wandered and I worked through something completely unrelated in my head. It was soothing to move the pen across the page making a grouping of curved lines, and then eventually straight lines interconnected into clusters of triangles. (None of which is pictured here).

I’ve drawn like this before in my sketchbook but the silver gel pen on black paper makes it something fascinating and special. The initial drawing I did on Friday led to a whole lot more over the weekend, because when I like something I am obsessive about it. I’ve completed four of these on 8.5″ x 11″ paper.

The drawings are a meditative process on par with the paper cutting work I love to do. My mind becomes a calm blank if I allow it to, and I don’t see any further than the next line or cut. It feels as good as the smooth glide of the gel pen across the page.

One Self Portrait a Month: Leftover Pieces

January 30, 2014

Just in the nick of time, with a few days to spare, I managed to shoot the first self portrait in a new series. As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’d been thinking about taking one self portrait a month for the next year. A simpler version of 52 Weeks of self portraits, but with the same level of creativity.

I knew if I could talk myself into doing one within the month of January then the project would be a go. Mission accomplished, and the project is rolling.

When I started this shoot I had a different idea in mind to use the paper scraps, and of course it evolved. These are all cut away from finished paper cut work, and have been collected together in a baggie I keep stashed in my studio. The pile of paper and my face were shot separately and made into one through the magic of Photoshop.

Going forward with the series I’m going to attempt to incorporate my paper work into each self portrait. It’s a good way to bring photography and paper together at last.

Paper Cut Work: Black Hearted and Shattered

January 27, 2014

A friend suggested making paper cut hearts using black paper instead of red, and it led the designs in a completely different direction than the previous ones. I used triangles as the repeating shape within the form of a heart.

The first version has randomly cut triangles. I cut these freehand without a ruler or drawing anything other than the outline of the heart and lines to centre things on the page.

Cut paper heart made of triangles on Etsy »

With the second design I decided to go with a more structured pattern of triangles working from a centre point within the heart. I drew lines radiating from the centre point and used a ruler to guide me as I cut. The end result makes the heart seem shattered. Take from that what you will…

Abstract cut paper heart on Etsy »

A New Self Portrait Project (I Hope)

January 23, 2014

Over the past few weeks I’ve been considering what my new projects will be for this year, and I realized I would like to do something with self portraits again. I can’t stand the idea of taking a self portrait a day, and I don’t want to redo 52 weeks of self portraits, but I want the project to have a specific timeline in the same way. I had a self portrait project epiphany one day as I was coming back from a walk, and realized I should shoot one a month.

It’s the perfect amount of minimal commitment, and gives me plenty of time to work on idea. But now I need to move this idea from the thinking to doing phase.

I’ll only be fully committed to the project once I shoot the first photo. I seem to be procrastinating getting around to it, which is why I decided to write about it here. Nothing like a public statement of commitment to get one motivated…I hope.

A Collection of Cut Paper Hearts

January 20, 2014

I’ve been productive since my last blog post, with three more paper cut hearts available in my Etsy shop. Valentines Day sure has been inspiring this year.

A heart of leaves »

A heart of curves and crescents »

A heart of many shapes »

Each piece is one-of-a-kind, and is cut by hand from a piece of 8.5″ x 11″ card stock.

Valentine Cut Paper Hearts

January 15, 2014

I’m a little obsessed at the moment with cutting these heart-shaped pieces. I’ve found myself working on a few ideas in my head, which is always the sign of an obsession.

I completed two different designs earlier this week. The first is a piece with two hearts, one large, and one small. I drew the heart outlines first and then created the form from an interesting mishmash of different shapes. This is cut from an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of red card stock, with the larger heart measuring at 5.25″ x 4.25″, while the smaller heart is 3″ x 2.75″

The finished piece is listed on Etsy, and is available for purchase.

This is my favourite of the hearts I’ve made so far. I decided to create the work from the repeating crescent shape I often use in my work, and the results were amazing. It makes for a mesmerizing design that plays with the eye (just what you want from a heart).

This piece is also available in my Etsy shop, with more to come…

Heart Shaped Paper Cut Work

January 10, 2014

Earlier this week I was feeling uninspired and not really sure what I wanted to do next with my paper cutting work. At the same time an upcoming project unexpectedly went on hold so I decided to take the time to play and explore ideas for Valentine paper cut pieces. This is something I mean to do every year but I never make time for it. I don’t have any special feelings about Valentine’s day, but I do love the colour red.

I’ve had this idea of a paper cut heart in my head and it felt so good to get it out. I drew the outline and freehand cut the design with an xacto knife. The heart is roughly 4.5″ x 6″ on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of card stock paper.

Making time to play with a simple side project, and to work with coloured paper rather than white, was just the thing I needed to get inspired.

The paper cut heart is listed in my Etsy Shop as an unframed original. I plan to create a few variations of more hearts as I have time.

Love: Cut Paper Typography

January 9, 2014

With Valentine’s day coming up I thought it was finally time to create a cut paper typography version of the word love. I’ve had a few requests for this word to be cut, and it’s the perfect fit for the design and red paper. The previous words were Art, Make, and Create.