Nature Studies

Here are some new paper cuts I’ve been working on recently. Although still paper cuts they show a very new direction. I am looking for a freer, more spontaneous and abstract way to create. The inspiration for these new cuts were the natural patterns, shapes and colours found in the skeletal remains of leaves, soft moist green mosses, hard craggy worn rocks and the tiny animals that live within.

Blue Butterfly (73cm diameter): Search carefully for the tiny blue butterfly making its way around a sinewy forest.

Natural green (73cm diameter): Lush green moist moss

Detail

Purple Beetle (73cm diameter): A skeletal leaf was the inspiration for this one. I exaggerated the shapes and colours and added the remains of a few butterflies. The Purple Beetle is in there somewhere, too. Look carefully and you’ll find it!

Detail

Talks and Workshops

Recently I’ve given talks and workshops about my silk paper cuttings. One was at ARC (a meeting place/ restaurant) where I gave a speech to a group of Taiwanese designers / cutters / art lovers. The feedback was good and fun was had by all. Surprisingly no one fell asleep!

Here's me introducing my work and making shadows.

Designer, Ben, asks a question.

A local TV news programme did a feature on me for the lifestyle section of their show. It was a kind of ‘day in the life of’. I took them to my art shop, places that inspire me and even to one of my favorite restaurants.

Here we are in the artshop where I buy my silk. Standing next to me is the owner, John, who introduced me to silk paper many years ago.

I also did two workshops at ARC – one for kids and one for adults. Both took the theme of paper cutting as a way to tell stories about ourselves. Fantastic paper cuts were created and I think everyone had a good time… I hope! In the Kids’ workshop we cut symetrical figures based on an important experience moment in our lives, e.g. one was about learning to ride a skateboard.

In the Adults’ work shop we focused on round symmetrical cuts that told stories. This workshop was as much about designing the architecture of the work as it was about telling the story.

Typhoon Tales

Here's the newest piece from my recent show. Entitled 'Typhoon tales' it is cut into a 2m long silk paper scroll and displayed on a black paper background. Photographing such a strong red is frustratingly difficult so the photos don’t show the real colour.

As an expat living in Taiwan two things I'm aware of are the abundance of motorbikes and the annual typhoons. Local TV news crews rush out to the windiest, stormiest point and foolish reporters try to file their live reports. They stand in the howling wind and rain, clinging to some inanimate object while holding a microphone. Their reports always state the obvious, “It’s windy here and the rain is heavy.”

The other thing news crews do is to film other people out in the storm and they’ll always manage to find motorcyclists battling the winds and inevitably being blown off or getting stuck in floods. My question is why go out in such bloody awful weather on a motorbike?

In this silk paper cut my dancing boys fear no storm, but even they are beaten by the mighty typhoon as they get swept along in the wind, rain and flood.

Here's one of the preliminary sketches. I spent a long, long time on the design process making sure that everything would hang together and not collapse. Papercutting is as much about the ‘architecture’ of the piece as well as the image.

New Show!

I’ve always admired those artists who can keep a regular blog. I, on the other hand find it hard at times to write – Maybe it’s because of the solitary lifestyle of the artist or maybe it’s laziness or not having anything to say.

I suppose my 3 month hiatus includes all of the above and more!

2011 is looking to be busy (but not yet busy enough to give up the day job!) I have my first major overseas exposure in Japan, which is exciting while my Taipei show will include children and adult workshops.

Taipei Tales,

ARC, Taipei, Taiwan

April 2^nd – 30^th, 2011

Kirie (Paper Cutting) of the World,

Fujikawa Kirie Art Museum, Fujikawa, Japan

July 9–September 25, 2011

Here’s the opening party for the ARC show. The press were on hand (I wasn’t expecting that!). Click here to see a video and article in Chinese.

The centrepieces of the show were two x 2m cut silk scrolls. One was a reworking of a previous piece called Boom Boom Vroom! and the other was ‘Typhoon Tales’. Both involve my 'Daniel Dangerous Dancing Boy' characters as they get into all kinds of mischief on their scooters. I’ll write more about them in the next post

Typhoon Tales

Boom! Boom! Vroom!

The Angel of Christmas

First of all, Merry Xmas and a prosperous new year to all of you who visit my blog. It's always good to know there's someone out there looking at my work while I'm hidden away in my little studio!

Recent work

A friend, who has decided to devote herself to rediscovering her spiritual self, commissioned this silk paper cut, entitled ‘Angel’. Influenced by Shamanism she asked for very specific images to be included in the work.

Here, she is wearing traditional Chinese clothes which are richly embroidered with symbolic imagery. On the front is a stylized rose which represents loving with courage.

As the Angel rises into the sky, she is surrounded by four ducks, which are her ‘Power animal’. These birds inhabit land, water and air and are her soul guides.

As she rises up the sun provides the warmth and energy thst will protect and empower her on her journey.

On another note I'd like to say thanks to the Online Graphic Design Degree for honouring me (along with a select group of other origami and paper cutting artists) the...

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Doodling!

After I finish cutting a silk paper cut I’m always left with thousands of beautifully shaped pieces of silk.

I collect and keep them - boxes and boxes of beautiful scraps, the result of years of paper cutting.

Every now and then I start gluing them onto coloured paper, sketch books, wooden bowls, in fact anything I can get my hands on.

I just let the scraps determine the shapes thus the title ‘Doodling’.

But now I look at them I see all manner of images. What can you see?

Klompen Blog aka Clog Blog

I have just completed an art charity project to aid children in Maolin township in the south of Taiwan. This was the area devastated by typhoons last year. 70 artists were each given a pair of traditional wooden clogs and asked to decorate them in any way they wanted.

Here are my clogs or klompen. I tried to create a feeling of movement, like water or air. I wanted this to flow around the clogs. If you look carefully you will find several butterflies and beetles. These little creatures are full of life and beauty, just like children. They are curious and a little naughty!

It was a perfect opportunity to use all the silk paper scraps I have left over from my cuts.

The clogs will all be exhibited before being auctioned off, but to tell the truth I have no idea where or when!