Work In Progress Paper Cut Things

After Currents of Nature went up a few weeks ago I was left with time to decide on what I wanted to work on next. In an usual turn of events I’ve started working on multiple things at once. The work I’m sharing here is one of the two.

Untitled

The idea began with playing around with painting the paper because I’m starting to feel the work needs colour. I was working with a scrap piece of paper and ended up cutting this small flower shape. Suddenly I started thinking about creating a sculpture from multiple small paper cut shapes, and so I decided to cut more of these flowers. When I had thirteen of them it didn’t feel like enough so I’ve decided to keep going with this as a long term side-project. At the moment I have twenty of these flower/starburst shapes, and there will be many more to come.

Untitled

Untitled

Sometimes I’ve been cutting these when I watch tv, and it feels a bit like my version of knitting. I’m not yet sure where this is going to end up, though I do have some things in mind.

Thank goodness I took the time to experiment.

A Whirlwind Trip to Seattle

A few weeks ago I decided to do a quick trip to Seattle in order to catch Morgan Brig’s new show at Patricia Rovzar Gallery before it closed at the end of June. I’ve admired her work for a few years, ever since coming across the gallery and her work while wandering the streets after Gnomedex in 2009.

These are three of many new pieces of Brig’s latest work. I really like the series of boats on wheels she’s created. Check out more of Morgan Brig’s work on her web site.

Work by Morgan Brig

Work by Morgan Brigg

Work by Morgan Brigg

It was only a twenty-four hour visit to Seattle and my main stop beside Patricia Rovzar Gallery was the Seattle Art Museum to see the Vogel show.

Fifty Works for Fifty States is an exhibition of works donated to the museum from the collection of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. Their collection of art is so large that they’ve donated fifty works to one art institute or museum in each of the fifty states. The display at SAM was mixed in with existing work from the collection of a similar nature. The show did not grab me as much as other things in the museum did.

Costumes

Beautiful tree and cups

A display of ceramics

SAM’s displays of their permanent collection are always engaging, no matter how many times I’ve seen them. They even manage to make ceramics compelling, which is an area of items I normally find rather boring. I wandered through previously unseen corners of the museum and came across the two murals pictured below. They were a fun surprise and both play with perspective in interesting ways.

Eye mural

Crazy face mural

I also found interesting art on the streets, which is something I haven’t found much of on past visits to Seattle. I love the mural of the man in a wolf mask. The leaves coming in from the top corner of the photo are real but blend nicely into the pasteup.

Wolf mask

Famous Faces of Seattle mural

It was a lot of inspiration packed into a short visit, and it was just the thing I needed to get inspired. Thanks Seattle.

Currents of Nature In Situ

My solo show, Currents of Nature, opened this past weekend at the Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison. Here are photos of the exhibition:

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-2

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-4

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-3

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-2

One side of the gallery has altered book work and installations, while the other has recent paper cut sculptures and wall pieces.

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-2

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-4

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-3

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-3

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-2

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery-4

Thanks to my friend Siobhan Humston for making the installation process so smooth and easy. All of the work was in position within two hours of my arrival at the gallery, and the show looks terrific.

Currents of Nature, Ranger Station Art Gallery

Currents of Nature will be on display until July 28th as part of the Harrison Festival of the Arts, so please do visit the show.

Paper Cut Work: Wind & Water Series (Part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, I have two more works to share from the Wind & Water series. Here they are in all their crazy paper cut glory.

I built the series around the repeating pattern of a slender crescent shape, combining them into larger swirls, which in turn create an overall form. Each work is cut from a single sheet of white paper and mounted within a wood cradle panel.

Wind & Water (series)-4
Wind & Water series (3 of 4) 12″ x 12″

Wind & Water (series) - detail

Wind & Water (series) - detail

I will continue to work on this series because I want to further explore layering the cut paper.

Wind & Water (series)
Wind & Water series (3 of 4) 12″ x 12″

Wind & Water (series) - detail

Wind & Water (series) - detail

This work and more can be seen in my upcoming solo show, Currents of Nature. It opens this weekend at Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison Hot Springs as part of the 35th Annual Harrison Festival of the Arts.

Paper Cut Work: Wind & Water Series

I’ve been holding back on sharing a collection of recent paper cut work because until yesterday, I just hadn’t gotten around to photographing it all properly. I find it tricky to photograph the paper cut work, to capture the layers and textures, and make it readable to the viewers eye.

The two pieces included in this post are part of a series of four. I’ve decided to title them Wind & Water because their patterns remind me of both the ripples and eddies of water, and the billows of smoke and clouds.

Wind & Water-3
Wind & Water series (1 of 4) 12″ x 12″

Wind & Water-2

Wind & Water

Each piece is cut from a single sheet of white paper and mounted within a wood cradle panel. I’ve shared the work below in a previous post but wanted to place it in the context of the rest of the series.

Wind & Water-4
Wind & Water series (2 of 4) 12″ x 12″

Wind & Water-5

Wind & Water-6

I’ll share the other two from the series in a separate post. This work will be on display in my upcoming exhibition, Currents of Nature, opening this weekend at the Ranger Station Gallery in Harrison Hot Springs.

Hello Pretty is Pretty Smart

Hello Pretty is a handmade marketplace for South African designers and artisans filled with amazing stuff I wish I could buy. The site is the brainchild of Scott Hadfield and Sam Marx, who recognized a need for an Etsy-style web site catering specifically to the South African market.

The site has grown by leaps and bounds in a short amount of time, and they’ve been getting terrific exposure from local press. The latest is this short interview with Sam (click image for a larger view).

Screen Shot 2013-06-03 at 2.11.37 PM

The pretty in pink photo featured in the article is a portrait I took of Sam a few years ago when she was in Vancouver for a visit. You can view the original version on Flickr.

A Love of Landscapes

I’ve been sharing a lot of landscape photos over on Instagram lately. The photos are as much about the big puffy clouds and blue skies as it is about the earth below them.

A bench with a view

A tiny Boris against a great big sky

Farm Country in Delta

Looking good East Vancouver

These were taken a few weekends ago during an outing to Westham Island for strawberries and honey, and a visit with a friend who lives in the Woodward building. Amazing views abounded!

Paper Inspiration For Your Friday

On Pinterest I have a board called, Paper Inspiration, where I collect all sorts of paper-based art work, installations, and sculpture. (Follow it here if you’re interested).

Some of the recent work I’ve come across to inspire me:

Kirigami by  Kanako Yaguchi

Kirigami by Kanako Yaguchi



Paper Sculpture by Jacqueline Rush Lee

Paper Sculpture by Jacqueline Rush Lee



Paper Cut illustration by Nicola Moss

Paper Cut illustration by Nicola Moss



Paper cut work by Pablo Lehmann

Paper cut work by Pablo Lehmann



It’s pretty amazing what a skilled artist can do with a simple piece of paper.

Currents of Nature at the Ranger Station Art Gallery

In July I have a solo show at Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison Hot Springs, as part of the 35th Annual Harrison Festival of the Arts.

Currents of Nature is a mix of new works in abstract cut paper sculpture as well as installation works made from repurposed books, all inspired by elements of the natural world.

harrison-invite

Please join me on Sunday June 30th, between 2pm to 4pm, for the opening reception of Currents of Nature. I will be in attendance and look forward to seeing you there. The exhibition continues at the Ranger Station Art Gallery until Sunday July 28th.

Currents of Nature
Date: June 30th to July 28th, 2013
Opening: Sunday June 30th, 2pm to 4pm
Location: Ranger Station Art Gallery
Address: 98 Rockwell Drive, Harrison Hot Springs, BC