FirstCut 2008 Fall

FirstCut

Communication for Members of The Guild of American Papercutters Volume 23

Number 4

Autumn 2008

THE PERFECT PUMPKIN © Edie Johnstone 2008 Cut With X-acto knife and scissors using black scherenschnitte and colored papers, 5‖ x 7‖

The Guild of American Papercutters is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to original papercutting as an art form in all its historical and contemporary styles. The Guild of American Papercutters exercises no artistic or business control over its members other than the encouragement of personal artistic growth and ethical business practices.

Membership is welcomed – the Guild has no jury requirements and conducts no contests. For registration, contact Susan Hahn at Guild of American Papercutters, P.O. 384, 214 South Harrison Avenue, Somerset, PA 15501 or email Susan at membership@papercutters.org. Dues for new members which includes the New Members Packet: Individuals $36US ($46 international) and Family $46US ($56 international). Renewal memberships are $30US ($40 international) and Family $40US ($50 international). We accept credit card payments for members through the secure online service PayPal indicated on the Guild‘s website for a small additional charge of $2: www.papercutters.org. All payments are made in American dollars.

Current Executive Committee: President- Kathy Trexel Reed (2010); Vice-President – Trudy Kauffman (2010); Secretary- Marie-Helene Grabman (2009); Treasurer - Darcy Walker (2010); VP Membership - Susan Hahn (2010); VP Exhibits – Anne Leslie. (2009).

Current Board of Directors: Don Cook (2010), Nancy Cook (2009), David Dorfmueller (2010), Bernie DuPlessis (2009), Carolyn Guest (2009), Beatrice Goodpasture (2011), Barbara Stoop (2011), Pat Stuntz (2010), and Sue Throckmorton (2011). Florine Strimel, Historian Ad Hoc

President’s Corner Have you ever heard the sweet sound of a classroom full of children quietly focused and concentrating on cutting paper? Their little scissors make a gentle noise; it softly whispers that creative, important work/play is taking form.

Similar, subtle rustling sounds occur when papery dry leaves are blown by autumn winds. These sounds announce seasonal changes that are the precursors of coming holidays and cozy indoor activities.

As you put your gardens to rest and begin to think of agreeable alternative pursuits, may you deeply enjoy the pleasure of exploring your talents and expressing your thoughts through papercutting. Both solitary scissoring or social snippets-sessions offer good times to use papercutting to rest, to dream, to try.

Sharing papercutting, ideas, and tea with friends can brighten the days.

Because GAP supports you and joins you in this artistic journey, please send a copy to FirstCut of what has developed from your own creative and important efforts. (―Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.‖ Pablo Picasso)

C CO ON NT TE EN NT TS S President’s Corner, Editorial Comments, Contents, Homework, and Deadlines- 1 Guild Business – 2 What, Why, Where is Laurel Arts – 4 GAP’s Pro-Bono Legal Services - 5 Member Reminders - 6 New GAP Yahoo Group - 7 New Entry Form for Shows - 8 Joy of Papercutting - 9 Member Commentary -10 Book Review -11 Papercutter Profile Nikki McClure -12 The Best Medicine - 14 Send in the Clowns - 16 A New Perspective - 19 Ideas and Inspirations - 22 Cuttings from the Past - 24 Transitions - 25 Inchies - 26 From the Archives - 28

Kathy Trexel Reed, GAP President

Front Cover: PSALM 118 © Kathy Trexel Reed 2008 Back Cover: Left: PUMPKIN TOTEM © Dan Deslaurier 2008, Top Right: UNTITLED Halloween cut © Kathy Trexel Reed Bottom right: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 08 © Dan Deslaurier 2008

FIRSTCUT’S Staff Comments

Member Homework

This issue contains diverse topics ranging from alphabet letters as design components, to that often quirky and ethereal subject known as humor. Suggested several months ago by Susan Throckmorton and discussed by Ursula Kirchner as a motivator in teaching papercutting, humor as expressed by our members takes us down different paths. Gudi Wittgen sent some clown cuttings a few months ago, which seemed to ―seal the deal‖ for humor as a topic in a future edition of FirstCut. And so here it is!

Winter: Papercut illustrations of a favorite quote, snow sports, round cuts Spring: Birds, mythical creatures, fantasy Summer: Silhouettes of summer activities, Native Americans, patriotic themes Autumn: Harvest, folktales/stories told using papercuts in an accordion book format

The contents of FirstCut are what our members make it. We need your input (ideas and cuttings!). Check out the ―Member Homework‖ topics on this page and Debbie Baird‘s ―Transitions‖ column. Let‘s get out the scissors and paper and keep cutting!

Winter – December 15; Spring – March 15; Summer – June 15; Autumn - September 15

Wishing you time to enjoy papercutting,

Pat Stuntz, Editor, FirstCut

FIRSTCUT Deadlines

All submissions for publication are sent to Pat Stuntz, 10 Cardinal Drive, Fleetwood, PA 19522 or emailed to pnstuntz@dejazzd.com.

Autumn FirstCut 2008

1

Guild Business The Guild of American Papercutters meeting was called to order on July 19, 2008 by President Kathy Trexel Reed at the home of Pat Stuntz in Fleetwood, PA. Board Members Attending: Kathy Trexel Reed, Trudy Kauffman, Pat Stuntz, Anne Leslie, and Marie-Helene Grabman. Board Members via cell phone: Don and Nancy Cook.

Minutes of the last General Meeting May 23rd at Collection 2008 – previously approved.

Treasurer‟s Report: Darcy Walker emailed her report for the period January 1-June 30, 2008. Assets: Checking account - $1451.08; Savings account $20,806.94. Net Assets: $27,258.02, which includes the first $5000 CD earmarked for the future papercutting museum. (A second CD of $5000, designated for the museum, will be purchased from the surplus of Collection 2008 funds.).

FurstCut expenses for printing and mailing, January 1June 30 = $2748.66.

Records of Wendy Boyer, GAP‘s Bookkeeper, show that Collection income (rounded figures) was $30,000 and expenses were (rounded figures) $24,000. After the second $5000 CD, the remaining $1000 will be working capital in the GAP accounts.

Collection Expense Report Sandra Gilpin and Sharon Schaich reported that our total expenses for Collection were $24,700.96 with a net a profit of just over $5000, which will become a new CD designated for the museum fund. One bill has not yet been paid. Dr. Robert Kline, keynote speaker on Thursday evening, returned his honorarium as a donation to GAP. We received $1938.30 from the silent auction and several donations.

That money will go into GAP‘s general operation funds.

Membership: We currently have 381 members.

OLD BUSINESS: Collection 2008: Sharon Schaich and Sandra Gilpin read some of the comments submitted on the Collection survey forms. They plan to produce a booklet that will be passed to the next Collection Committee, with a second copy stored in the GAP archives, to help in organizing future Collections.

2

Autumn FirstCut 2008

Members expressed their wish to have Collection every 2 years. Many locations have been suggested. More information will be in the Summer FirstCut on how to nominate a location. Pat Stuntz requested that for future Collections there be a post-Collection PR person appointed to submit timely articles about workshops and presentations. She had difficulty getting submissions for the recap articles in the Summer FirstCut. Memorandum of Understanding: Kathy Trexel Reed, Pat Stuntz and Marie-Helene Grabman are developing a first draft of our Memorandum for our permanent collection/museum at Laurel Arts. Kathy reported that within a year, Laurel Arts, Somerset, PA will have a new leased expansion facility which will hopefully free up additional space for GAP at the current arts center.

IRS: we still have not received a confirmation letter about the zero balance due; nor have we received any notice of penalties or fines.

FirstCut: Pat Stuntz reported that she is happy with the current printer and by doing the layout herself, a significant savings is realized. The printer gave us an estimate of $90 to print 400 copies of the front and back covers in color. Since we are under budget for the printing, a motion was made by Anne Leslie to give Pat the option to print the cover of FirstCut in color. Motion seconded by Trudy. We did not have a quorum present, so the vote will be taken via email. (Motion passed.)

Pat hopes to have the Fall issue ready to mail after the next Board meeting and will be inserting color pages reminding members to renew their memberships. This will also include an end of year appeal letter from Kathy.

GAP Traveling Show Entry Fees: Anne Leslie and Pat Stuntz have written a new standardized Call for Entries and Hold Harmless Form. Entry fees were discussed and the current price structure ($20 entry fee first picture/$10 additional pictures) will be maintained. In the past, the Traveling Shows have always lost money. Forms will be developed to clearly delineate monies sent with pictures for return postage fees, optional insurance fees, and a box to check to indicate if members wish a refund or donation of return postage fees for work that is sold. No pictures will be included in traveling shows that do not have all forms signed and fees paid.

All GAP traveling show forms need to be added to the website.

GAP Application for Tax Exempt Number: The PA Dept. of State has acknowledged receipt of our application and is reviewing the material submitted.

Traveling Exhibit: Anne Leslie reported that the Call For Entries for the upcoming Traveling Shows (Del Ray, VA; Biltmore, NC; Bedford, PA; and Somerset PA) will be in the Summer FirstCut.

NEW BUSINESS:

Shoe Box and Bait Box Schedule: Anne Leslie will take these two mini exhibits to Arizona in mid January.

Following Arizona, Sue Throckmorton has requested them for a library in Massachusetts.

Collection 2010: Don Cook is heading up the committee to present the final selection for Collection 2010 to the Board. Also on the committee are Carolyn Guest, Alice Helen Masek, Sandra Gilpin, Sharon Schaich, and Judith Meyers.

Fall Meeting: The next Board Meeting will be October 18th hosted by Don and Nancy Cook.

Band Box Exhibit ―Plain and Fancy‖: Kathy Reed will receive the 8‖x 8‖ pieces in October to organize this showing first at Laurel Arts, Somerset, PA. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Trudy Kauffman; seconded by Anne Leslie.

Replacement Board Members: At the next meeting, a committee will be selected to recruit new Board members to replace those whose terms expire in March 2009.

Respectfully submitted,

Winter Meeting: The winter Board meeting will be at Steven Woodbury‘s home. The date and directions will be in the Fall FirstCut.

Marie-Helene Grabman

INITIALS JLC © Ingrid Schenck 2008 3½x4⅛

Schenk 2008

We wish to thank the following individuals for their generous donations to GAP: Wanda Dick Jupi Das Randel McGee Susan Fulcher Kathy Reed Gil and Howard Hague Debbie Baird Barbara Barrett Evelyn Devonshire Carvel Markley Bernie and Faye DuPlessis

Nancy Cook Sheryl Jaeger Ralph Gallo Ingrid Schenck Moshe Natan Zipora Ne‘eman Anne Leslie Judith Meyers Dr. Robert M. Kline Sukey Harris Gudi Wittgen Gilbert Angel detail from PSALM 118 © Kathy Trexel Reed

Autumn FirstCut 2008

3

What, Why, and Where is LAUREL ARTS?

By Kathy Trexel Reed GAP‘s centralized office and address, necessary to support the Guild of American Papercutters‘ 501c3 not for profit status, is located at ―Laurel Arts‖, an incorporated and not for profit organization housed at the Philip Dressler Center for the Arts in Somerset, PA. This is also the potential home for a GAP permanent collection of Paper Arts, which would be the first American museum devoted to the art form of papercutting.

The Philip Dressler Center for the Arts in Somerset, PA

Somerset, the county seat of rural Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania, is supported by active farming, small businesses, mining industries, and numerous outdoor recreational activities including fishing, hunting, skiing, and biking in the Laurel and Allegheny Mountain ranges of the Appalachians. The Great Allegheny Passage, a 335 mile biking route connecting Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh, traverses Somerset County. It is a 1 ½ hour drive to Pittsburgh and a 3 hour drive to Baltimore and Washington D.C. Built in 1832 by a prominent Somerset businessman, the Dressler home was last owned by Pittsburgh industrialist Philip d‘Huc Dressler. In 1976, the late Dorothy B. Dressler fulfilled her artist husband‘s wishes with the major gift of the Dressler house and grounds as a permanent center for the arts. She also established a scholarship fund to provide to Somerset County residents who have financial need full opportunities to participate in Dorothy B. Dressler any classes or programs offered.

4

Autumn FirstCut 2008

All residents can participate, and Laurel Arts works hard to fulfill its mission of providing affordable, quality arts programs to Somerset countians through exhibitions, classes, workshops, summer camps, dance recitals, concerts, and special events including the annual county Somerfest.

ArtLink, the Laurel Arts newsletter, fulfills it motto, ―Linking the Arts and Somerset County‖, by offering some of its programs at facilities in every area of the county for the convenience of residents. In addition there are fourteen affiliate art units that make Laurel Arts their home base. They include Botanical and Culinary Art clubs, Needle and Fabric Arts guilds, five Musical / Performing Arts groups, five Visual Arts organizations, and a Writer‘s Workshop.

With a staff of seven, a seventeen member Board, and a $640,000 budget, Laurel Arts is a healthy and exciting organization. With activities nearly bursting the seams of its current facility, Laurel Arts is examining additional building space to lease in Somerset to allow for expanded classes and studios. This would free more archival and exhibit space for the growing partnership between Laurel Arts and the Guild of American Papercutters.

Laurel Arts "Smiling & Bursting at the Seams with Activities"...

At this time, both GAP and Laurel Arts are working toward the mutual objective of a papercutting museum. Board members of each organization are developing a memorandum of understanding to delineate the roles of each group in the partnership. The Guild is storing back issues of newsletters, books, and papercutting collectibles in the Laurel Arts archival storage area. Although space is limited, these items remain safe and accessible.

Two glass cases at Laurel Arts currently are featuring the Bait Box and Shoe Box mini traveling GAP exhibits. These display units, a new GAP computer scanner, and archival boxes and sleeves were obtained with grant money awarded to the GAP/Laurel Arts partnership by The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Several major traveling GAP shows have been exhibited in the Laurel Arts gallery, and the next is scheduled to arrive again in May of 2009.  The GAP showcase at Laurel Arts

The Guild‘s bookkeeping services are contracted with Wendy Boyer, who is also bookkeeper for Laurel Arts. GAP‘s pro-bono legal, and accounting services are also located in Somerset. The first article, introducing Doug Bell, attorney at law, appears in this issue. You will read about Wendy Boyer and John Farkosh, CPA in the next issue of FirstCut.A strong partnership between GAP and Laurel Arts promises present and future benefits to both organizations. Responsible care of this relationship will help establish GAP as an enduring institution and provide even greater basis for Laurel Arts as a destination.

Ed. Note: The impressive scope and breadth of Laurel Arts’ history and support for the arts may be seen by visiting their website: www.laurelarts.org

GAP‟s Pro-Bono Legal Services

By Kathy Trexel Reed Doug Bell, Attorney at Law, and Magisterial District Judge in the southeastern region of Somerset County, is again offering his pro-bono legal services for a second year to the Guild of American Papercutters. A past president of the Somerset County Bar Association and a Somerset County native, Doug is a graduate of Dickinson College and the Dickinson School of Law. When he was first contacted by Kathy Reed more than a year ago and asked if he would consider working with GAP, Doug responded with enthusiasm that he might be one of the few local residents to know about Ugo Mochi‘s distinguished papercuttings. Doug‘s junior high school art teacher M. Geneva Altfather, loved papercutting and introduced her students to the artform.

Doug‘s wife and son, a senior at Berlin High School, are both artistic, and his mother Kathryn Bell, is one of Laurel Arts‘ founding members. Doug is very active in civic organizations, and a proud member of the Berlin Fife and Drum Corps, playing the fife and sometimes bass drum. He also enjoys bicycling and skiing locally, and recently traveled by bicycle with cousins along the Great Allegheny Passage ―Rails to Trails‖ section between Confluence, PA, and Cumberland, MD, a journey of 62 miles, or ―one metric century‖.

Doug believes ―Tourism is the future of Somerset County. It has all the attributes of Asheville, NC, on a smaller scale.‖ He seems a perfect individual with legal expertise to assist GAP as we develop our dream of a papercutting museum at Laurel Arts, and to be available as needed for legal consultations.

A New Brochure for GAP A new tri-fold brochure is now available to members who have the opportunity to publicize the guild at shows and exhibits, or on a one-toone basis to interested artists. The brochure contains our mission statement and purpose, information on the history of papercutting, Guild history and activities. It also contains a tear-off portion with membership information for anyone who wishes to join.

Anyone interested in obtaining some of these brochures may contact Pat Stuntz at pnstuntz@dejazzd.com.

A Word file or pdf version is also available to those who wish to download the brochure files for printing themselves.

Autumn FirstCut 2008

5

Member Reminders Exhibitions "The Cutting Art" Through the end of the year, 2008 The Landis Valley Museum 2451 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster, PA This exhibit has work from private and museum collections, international and American paper artists, contemporary and antique pieces.

Bandbox Exhibit Still Seeking Papercuts The Bandbox exhibit has room for many more members' papercuttings. Any theme will be accepted, or design something suggested by our "Plain & Fancy" Lancaster County experiences. Try to send them by sometime in October.

To participate:

Miniature Traveling Shows: The Band Box Exhibit

1)

Design your papercutting to fit inside an 8‖ X 8‖ archival sleeve after it is mounted on 8‖ X 8‖ acid free mat board. These items were provided at Collection, or can be mailed to you.

2)

Send yours to: Kathy Reed, 153 Black Bear Run, Berlin, PA 15530 (814-267-3183) rmreed@shol.com

The deadline has been extended to the end of October.

See information in the next column for details.

The Bait Box and Shoe Box Exhibits

are temporarily housed at Laurel Arts, Somerset, PA, home of GAP's centralized national office.

Biltmore V Exhibit November 3, 2008 to January 1, 2009

Del Ray Artisans Exhibit Del Ray Artisans Gallery Nicholas A. Colasanto Center 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301 ―THE WORLD THROUGH THE BLADE OF SCISSORS‖ December 12 – January 4, 2008 Deadline for Submissions: November 12, 2008 For submission information, see the summer issue of FirstCut. Winter Quarter GAP Meeting Home of Steve Woodbury Springfield, Virginia Saturday, March 21, 2009 Details to follow in the Winter issue of FirstCut.

6

Autumn FirstCut 2008

GAP Members‟ Work Featured on Del Ray Artisans Postcard Papercuts by GAP members Sukey Harris, Marie-Helene Grabman, and Anne Leslie appear on the postcard promoting the DelRay Artisans Show at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301. The show, titled ―THE WORLD THROUGH THE BLADE OF SCISSORS‖ is scheduled to run from December 12 – January 4, 2008.

The postcard was designed by Pat Stuntz.

Announcement!!!

Announcement!!!

We're Baaaacckkk………

GAP has a new 'members only' Yahoo group!

It‘s called the FrontPorch GAPsters and we would like to extend a cordial and very friendly invitation to all members! The new group is a relaxed and informal venue where all members of GAP can 'come on in and make themselves right at home!'

Here we can share our artwork, explore all the newest in papercutting techniques, join in discussions, and keep tabs on all the latest GAP happenings, shows, and events. And, as usual, we will expand and explore papercutting in all its diverse and creative ways; and, well, just relax and enjoy the conversation, just like you would while seated on the front porch of a good friend's house! The site is already up and running, so, fix yourself a nice hot cup of tea, and come on over and 'set a spell!'

To join, send an email to FrontPorchGapsterssubscribe@yahoogroups.com (NOTE: When joining, please list a first & last name on your member info, so we can identify you as a member of GAP. This is a restricted group for GAP members only!!!)

For more information, please contact Susan Hahn (behssh@olypen.com) or Angela Mohr (tinoak@comcast.net).

So come join us!

We look forward to having you!

ON THE PORCH © Susan Hahn 2008

It‘s time to renew your GAP membership for 2009.

The gold colored renewal form is enclosed with this fall issue of FirstCut. Renewing at this time will help our volunteer staff to keep your membership active!

Streamlining the Entry Process for Traveling Shows For future shows, we are instituting a process that will help our show coordinators in planning, exhibiting, and moving the Guild‘s traveling shows.

We will have two forms for each show that will accompany the artwork and will be sent to the Coordinator for a given show. The Coordinator‘s name and address will be listed in the ―Call for Entries‖ articles that appear in FirstCut. The Call for Entries articles will also contain deadline information and location of the show.

The paperwork that will accompany the artwork is listed below: 1. The Entry Form 2. The Hold Harmless Form 3. Checks made payable to ―The Guild of American Papercutters‖ The new entry form includes return postage for unsold works, optional insurance, as well as a preference for return postage paid when the artwork is sold. The new entry form appears on page 8. The Hold Harmless Form appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of FirstCut. Copies of both forms can be emailed to GAP members upon request. Email request to Pat Stuntz at pnstuntz@dejazzd.com

Autumn FirstCut 2008

7

Guild of of American American Papercutters Papercutters Guild

GAP Entry Form for Travelling Shows Show: __________________________________________________________ Name Address City

State

Telephone

Email

Number of cuttings submitted Entry Fee for the first cutting $20.00 $10.00 for each additional piece entered*

Zip

Amount of Entry Fee(s)

Amount of Return Postage Included Please check one:

Optional Insurance, if included in check

I wish to donate the return postage paid to GAP if my work sells.

Total I wish to have the return postage refunded to me if my works sells.

*Please make checks payable to “Guild of American Papercutters” with the name of the show on the memo line.

Please send checks, Entry Form, and Hold Harmless Form to the Coordinator identified in the “Call for Entries” for each show.

8

Autumn FirstCut 2008

Old Traditions, New Recipes

This outline has been prepared by Sue Throckmorton for the GAP project: The JOY of Papercutting: Old Traditions, New Recipes. * Keep in mind that all of the information/ ideas below are TENTATIVE and subject to change. We want more comments, more ideas and suggestions, even after October 1. This project may take a couple of years until completion.

Our Mascot / Symbol: "Pierre the Paper Chef", Pierre can introduce interesting bits of information, mark things to remember, label certain projects with a "Chef's Special" or "Chef Recommends," etc.

Title: The JOY of Papercutting: Old Traditions, New Recipes Marketing: 1) Museums and galleries 2) Gift and craft shops 3) School art departments and libraries 4) GAP website 5) Other websites such as Papercuttings

by Alison 6) Art supply companies

Goals: 1) To be a fundraiser for GAP 2) To spread and keep alive the art of papercutting 3) To indirectly encourage members to expand venues for shows and workshops.

Target Audience: Beginners of all ages.

General Description: A book of "recipes" or papercutting ideas with simple, clear instructions and simple, accompanying line drawings in black and white.

Format: Pages will resemble a cookbook with 4 X 6" recipe cards between 2 hard covers bound at the top with spiral binding so that it can lie flat and easily slide into a bubble wrap envelope for mailing.

Outline: I Introduction to project (includes purpose and ways to proceed) II Introduction to GAP III Menu (Table of Contents) IV Ingredients (Tools and Materials) V The Recipes a. Starters (Tips and Techniques) b. Main Courses (Papercutting Projects) c. Desserts (Projects for Special Days, Special Tools & Techniques, Special Papers) VI The Shopping Mart / Marketplace (Where to buy tools and materials) VII Bibliography

Responsibilities: 1) Sue Throckmorton: Nuts and Bolts 2) Kathy Reed: Printing and Assembling 3) Debbie Baird: Marketing 4) Other GAP Members: This project will come from the ideas they submit. (It will not be just a project by Sue, Debbie and Kathy, who will facilitate the project on behalf of the guild.

Members will also help distribute and sell the project.)

Future Possibilities: Intermediate or Innovative variations expanding upon the first elementary book

Contacts: Contacts: Sue: throck@it.com.pl throck@it.com.pl or Sue: or slthrock@neostrada.pl slthrock@neostrada.pl Kathy: rmreed@shol.com rmreed@shol.com Kathy: Debbie: tilly376@mikrotec.com tilly376@mikrotec.com Debbie:

Autumn FirstCut 2008

9

Member Commentary From Ursula Hamann: Ursula was offered a two months‘ exhibit at the Chester (NJ) Library. Ursula writes, ―Then....while preparing for the event, I began to look at it as a great opportunity to keep introducing the public to an old world art form, brought back to life in this country by an amazing group of papercutters! In my collection of records for the show, I am going to include the cover and back of FirstCut 2008, as well as the cover and back of the Papercutting Folklife Program (2006) for New Jersey, a project of the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

From Ursula Kirchner: Thank you for FirstCut. It is very interesting.

The papercuts by Debbie Baird are very good. To see them is a new approach to papercutting. I also like that so many members of GAP take an active part in the association.

I am trying to keep our association going. We hope that Christa Weber will be able to take up her task as editor of our guild again.

I am glad I have so many friends in the USA with whom I can keep in contact.

From Zipora Ne‟eman: Dear Friends, It was my pleasure to meet some of you at Collection 2008. I will be in the USA again soon.

I will be in the Washington, D.C. area from October 1821 and will give a workshop at Temple Micah on Oct. 19. Then I will go to Baltimore and stay there until Oct. 31. On Oct. 26 I will give workshops at the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore. From November 116, I will be in Boston, Massachusetts.

If any of you would like to join my workshops or meet me, it will be my pleasure. I will be available by email : ziporan@gmail.com and by phone in Baltimore: 410-486-0554; in Boston: 617-500-4569 Also in December I will be teaching papercutting in at Limmud, UK. Details at www.limmuduk My new website is www.papercuts.co.il I am also free to do more workshops. If at any time you, your family or your friends visit in Israel please do not forget that you have a friend in Haifa.

All the best and happy paper cutting,

(Ed. Note: We are delighted to have Ursula a part of our Guild. Her creativity and humor have enriched all of us! We also would like to send Christa Weber our best wishes and hope that she will soon be able to resume her work with the German Guild.)

Zipora Ne‘eman holds one of her papercuttings.

UNTITLED © Ursula Kirchner 2008

10

Autumn FirstCut 2008

Zipora Ne‘eman‘s logo © Zipora Ne‘eman 2008

Book Review J.P. Verhave De Zoom 4 6591 DZ Malden The Netherlands Dear Johanna, Members of our Guild of American Papercutters enjoyed viewing your new book Geknipt! at our 20th Anniversary Celebration. We send our congratulations to you also for the 25 years that the Netherlands Society of Papercutting Art has been active, and for your beautiful publication about the history of Dutch papercutting.

The English summary, of course, is very helpful to those of us who speak no Dutch, but the colorful illustrations share your research beautifully throughout the book. The many photographs, whether in color or black and white, are particularly beautiful reproductions of the varieties of cuttings emerging during hundreds of years in the Netherlands..

Single cuts, folded paper, Biblical inspirations, and marriage memorials, all demonstrate highly personal approaches.

It is intriguing that there is an absence of uniform, traditional styles in Dutch papercuttings, as contrasted to many cultures which have noticeable common characteristics. Rather, the Dutch papercuts show much individuality, instead of a common trend.

Both delicate art and naïve forms from urban as well as rural settings demonstrate that papercutting was practiced by the well to do and also poor laborers. It is also interesting that the coastal provinces where more trade was done evidence more papercuts and arts in general. The province of North Holland, where many Mennonites lived, seems to have been quite rich in papercuttings, probably because the art form fit well with their plain life style. It is not surprising that the 17th and 18 century papercuts from cotton rag have survived better than those from wood pulp paper.

The embossed white paper of Abraham by Pieter Reynders, 1800, is an effect I have not seen before, and the clock with the white paper “hat” is an intriguing sight. It must have a fascinating explanation. Even though I speak no Dutch, seeing this book has been a great pleasure. It will be an important addition to our archive and for visitors to see in the museum of papercutting that our guild is now working to establish.

Thank you sincerely for sending Geknipt! by Joke en Jan Peter Verhave. (ISBN 978-90-5730-517-7)I will recommend it to our members from your publisher: Walburg Pers, P.O. Box 4159, 7200 BD Zutphen, The Netherlands.

(Email: publiciteit@walburgpers.nl ) Sincerely yours,

Kathy Trexel Reed.

President, The Guild of American Papercutters August 8, 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

11

Nikki McClure Papercutting was a solution to a problem: how to depict what I was seeing in my head in the most simplified form possible. My art had evolved from technical line drawing, to scratchboard, to linoleum carving. Each step took me farther from details and more into using the essence of line to depict an object. What is this leaf‘s most basic form?

I am also inspired by my adventures in this world. My family and friends are in just about every cut that I make. My garden, the food we grow, the swimming, the berry picking, mushrooms, trees, birds (especially crows), rain puddles are constantly depicted again and again. As each cut is made with a mistake or two, the next one will surely be better! So I sweep the floor and try again.

One day, in 1996, I took x-acto knife to black paper and it was liberating. I couldn‘t not make mistakes. Mistakes were welcomed as possibilities to creatively figure a way to incorporate them into the design. The knife cutting through the paper made my brain feel so good, as if all my synapses were resonating in harmony. It was definitely a lightning bolt moment in my life. I have been cutting ever since then.

My first papercut is the first picture in my first self-published book, ―Apple‖. My mother has it. I have been making books and calendars illustrated with my papercuts since then. The themes I explore are community, sustenance, sustainability. I am fascinated

by WPA posters and how, through posters and graphics, our society was made better. I aim to do the same (without waiting for government aid). My work celebrates the positive attributes of humanity and how through strengthening this side of human nature we will be able to survive another 1000 years.

EBB © Nikki McClure 2008

A NEW MATERIALISM © Nikki McClure 2008

12

Autumn FirstCut 2008

I usually start with a memory or event just witnessed that I want to record. I draw sketches. More and more I work with photographs. The digital camera is changing art. I can sketch out a remembered motion, have my partner take a picture of me as I act it out, instantly tell if it is the right angle that I imagine in my head, reshoot, print, and then start sketching. To these poses I add sketches of plants, often just picked and brought into my studio, or patterns, or the crows at the feeder. A final drawing is made. I try to keep everything connected. It is a game and a challenge.

Next I transfer the drawing onto black paper. (I use Strathmore Charcoal paper. I like that it is black all the way through and that it seems to be pretty fadeproof. A 10-year old papercut glued to a West-facing window has survived pretty well. I need to go to Japan to get more paper in colors. They come in such beautiful shades and with fading tints= lovely! But I mostly just use black with color being added with a computer for printing needs.) I used to redraw the picture onto the black paper with a pencil, but now I am a Mother and don‘t have time for that step! So I rub graphite on the back and trace it onto the black paper. I then start cutting.

MOTHER © Nikki McClure 2008

TREASURE © Nikki McClure 2008

I use a No. 11 x-acto knife and a Japanese cutting mat (Thank you Beatrice and Minomusi). The work is scanned for printing before it is glued down. At the end, I lightly glue it all down to museum mounting board with tiny bits of PVA glue. Frame it and share it through art shows.

My work is distributed internationally through the calendars I make every year. I also make books. ―Collect raindrops‖ published by Abrams catalogues 10 years of my calendars. I have a children‘s book coming out this Spring with them, written by Cynthia Rylant, ―All in a Day‖. I will also be printing an art book with photographs of my work, ―The Next 1000 Years‖, next year. My work has been used by Patagonia for t-shirts, on the covers of cd‘s and books, City of Olympia‘s Stormwater covers, movie credits, public art in Seattle and Olympia, and even snowboards. I also make lamps with my partner, Jay T. Scott (www.jaytscott.com).

Papercuts are applied fiberglass to the inside of thin spruce veneer. Most products can be seen at www.buyolympia.com.

This Fall my work will be shown in Olympia (Oct. 3), San Francisco (Oct. 10), and Los Angeles (Oct. 18). I will be taking ―Vote for Survival‖ on a tour by train. ―Vote for Survival‖ is a series of wood signs with papercut mages silk-screened onto them. Please come to the shows if you can! You can find me at www.nikkimcclure.com.

PROMISE © Nikki McClure 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

13

The Best Medicine

By Pat Stuntz

We‘ve all heard that familiar saying about laughter. Mark Twain, himself the embodiment of literary wit, agreed, and said that ―Humor is mankind's greatest blessing‖.

But just what is humor? Many theories exist about what humor is and what social function it serves.

According to many sources, humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. People of nearly all ages and cultures respond to humor. Most people like to be amused and to laugh or smile at something funny.

A sense of humor is the ability to experience humor, although the extent to which an individual will find something funny depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence, and context. For example, young children may favor slapstick or overt comedy while mature audiences might appreciate satire, which relies on understanding the target of the humor. Not all adult humor is satirical, however. Much of what we experience as adult humor is more recreational in nature.

LITTLE MISS MUFFET © Linda Peck 2008

14

Autumn FirstCut 2008

Some groups believe that creativity is at the summit of intelligence and that one of the highest forms of creativity is humor. Much creative humor in our culture comes from the written word but in a world increasingly dominated by viewing, graphic wit has become a powerful tool for expressing humor.

Papercutting fits neatly into the category of graphic wit.

GAP member Debbie Baird specifically addressed the graphic medium of papercutting and humor in the summer 2008 issue of FirstCut, when she said ―Let‘s see if we can find some …papercutting clowns in our midst!! Here‘s to chuckles, chortles, guffaws, and giggles while cutting!‖ We did find some papercutters with an ingenious sense of humor: Susan Throckmorton, Kathy Reed, Linda Peck, Ursula Kirchner, and Edie Johnstone (See Edie‘s cut on page 25). All demonstrated a diversified sense of ―graphic wit‖ in their work. Ursula Kirchner also proved that understanding the cultural context and historical timeframe was important, so her explanation of the source of her humorous cuts is a necessary component for her American audience.

THE PAPER CHASE © Susan Throckmorton 2008

LOST MITTENS, FOUND HATS © Linda Peck 2008

HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY © Susan Throckmorton 2008

WAHL‘S NASE ALS COMET © Ursula Kirchner 2008 FAMILIENFEST © Ursula Kirchner 2008 ―Hohenstaufen‖ is a mountain of the ―Schwäbische Alb‖, a Jurassic mountain range in Württemberg, a distance of about 30 km from Stuttgart, Germany. It used to have a castle which belonged to the family of the emperors of the Roman Empire. Familienfest (Family Holiday) likens Wahl‘s nose to this mountain.

JITTERBUGS © Kathy Trexel Reed 2008

Ursula Kirchner explains the context of her humorous cuttings this way: Germans are very fond of funny, witty poems. ―Wahl‘s Nose‖ is one example. The poems are by a friend of Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) named Haug. Haug had a friend named Stahl who had an enormous nose. Haug wrote more than 10, 000 poems of which 300 poems are about this nose. Ursula‘s cuts shown here depict two of the poems. The cutting above likens Wahl‘s nose to a comet.

SERENADE © Kathy Trexel Reed 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

15

Send in the From the dynasties of ancient Egypt to the present day, clowning has had a long history all over the world, A pygmy clown performed as a jester in the court of Pharaoh Dadkeri-Assi during Egypt‘s Fifth Dynasty about 2500 B.C. Court jesters have performed in China since 1818 B.C. and clowns performed as court jesters in the Middle Ages. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, clowning in England was basically a theatrical art form. In the First Folio of Shakespeare‘s plays, two, William Kemp and Richard Armin, were clowns. When Cortez conquered the Aztec Nation in 1520 A.D. he discovered Montezuma‘s court included jesters similar to those in Europe.

Philip Astley created what is considered the first circus in England in 1768. He also created the first circus clown act called Billy Buttons, or the Tailor‘s Ride to Brentford. The act was based on a popular tale of a tailor, an inept equestrian, trying to ride a horse to Brentford to vote in an election. Astley impersonated the tailor attempting to ride the horse. First he had tremendous difficulty mounting correctly, and then when he finally succeeded the horse started off so fast that he fell off. As the circus grew and Astley hired other clowns, he required them to learn Billy Buttons. It soon became a traditional part of every circus for 100 years.

Variations of the routine with somebody coming out of the audience to attempt to ride a horse are still being performed in modern circuses. These examples show that throughout history most cultures have had clowns.

Today, clowns can be divided into three basic types: the whiteface, the auguste, and the character clown. The whiteface clown is the oldest and most wellknown of the clowns. The white face clown is the one most people first think of when they hear the word ‗clown.‘ He is the oldest style of clown, dating back to Greek theatre. Associated with the circus, the whiteface clown is the most intelligent of the clowns, and is typically the ringleader, who will order around the other clowns, and who has his ‗clownishness‘ revealed either by his own ineptness or by that of his underling. There are two major classes of the white face clown, and thus two styles of make-up. The first is the standard, or classic, whiteface clown. This consists of a white base, with make-up to accent the eyes and mouth. This is the clown type many people associate with the circus. A zanier, less-intelligent style of clown is the comedy whiteface. Here the makeup is more exaggerated, to

16

Autumn FirstCut 2008

emphasize the more outrageous nature of this clown.

Bozo the clown is a good example of this type of clown.

FUNNY CLOWN © Gudi Wittgen Gilbert 2008

The auguste clown is in a class by himself. The least intelligent of the clowns, he is also perhaps the most beloved. With the most exaggerated make-up and movements, this is the zaniest of the clowns. The makeup of the auguste starts, not with the classic white base, but more of a flesh tone. Like the whiteface, the make-up is exaggerated. The object is to enhance the natural features of the face, never to hide them. The clown takes his or her natural facial features and exaggerates them. Since exaggeration is key, an auguste clown might wear a tiny hat, oversized coat, and extremely wide lapels on the shirt & coat.

DER JONGLEUR © Susanne Schläpfer 2008

A famous Swiss clown, Karl Adrien "Grock" Wettach (Jan. 10, 1880 - July 14, 1959) became the toast of European entertainment as "Grock" the clown. The son of a watchmaker, he became an amateur acrobat and was allowed to spend each summer with a circus, where he performed first as a tumbler and then as a violinist, pianist, and xylophonist. He became the partner of a clown named Brick and changed his name to Grock in 1903. Together they appeared in France, North Africa, and South America. Grock perfected his adventures of a simpleton among musical instruments that made many a European audience laugh—at his wonder as to where the strings had gone when he held his fiddle the wrong side up. The talented musician, who could play 24 instruments and speak many languages, became the king of clowns in the early 1900‘s. In 1924 he left England and remained on the European continent until his farewell performance at age 74 in Hamburg, Germany, on October 30, 1954.

GROCK © Gudi Wittgen Gilbert 2008

Above left, THE ACROBAT; above right, THE CLOWN © Cindy Stinson-Chennell 2006

SAD CLOWN © Gudi Wittgen Gilbert 2008

The character clown is widely thought of as the tramp or hobo, but it can encompass many other things.

For instance, virtually all of Red Skelton's TV characters (Sheriff Deadeye, Clem Kaddiddlehopper, the mean widdle kid, Cauliflower McPugg, etc.), Carol Burnett's famous wash woman character, Tim Conway's equally famous 'little old man' character, Urkel from the TV show "Family Matters," etc. are all clearly clowns, though definitely not either a whiteface nor an auguste clown. The vast majority of clowns in this category, however, are clearly tramps and hobos. The tramp clown is a distinctly American invention, although he is now popular in European circuses as well. The most well-known Tramp is clearly Charlie Chaplin‟s "Little Tramp," Red Skelton‟s Freddy the Freeloader, or Emmett Kelly‟s "Weary Willie." The generic tramp character assumes a "down-on-his-luck" approach to life.

His costume appears tattered and torn (a performing clown should never have a shabby or unclean costume), and things do not go well for him. The hobo, on the other hand, has much more of a "devil-may-care" attitude. Although in the same position as the tramp (costuming and make-up may be virtually identical), the hobo is not unhappy about his situation. He knows that everything will turn out all right. A well-known example is Red Skelton„s clown character, "Freddy the Freeloader."

It is evident that each style of clown has its own personality and flair. Today most clowns can be seen at circuses or might be hired for children‘s birthday parties.

At these functions, many modern clowns have melded the characteristics of the earlier forms to create the dynamic characters we know today.

Autumn FirstCut 2008

17

More clowns

BALANCING ACT © Cindy Stinson-Chennell 2006 UNICYCLIST © Cindy Stinson-Chennell 2006

TRAINER © Gudi Wittgen Gilbert 2008

DOG TRAINER © Cindy Stinson-Chennell 2006

HAPPY CLOWN © Gudi Wittgen Gilbert 2008

18

Autumn FirstCut 2008

THE JUGGLER © Cindy Stinson-Chennell 2006

A New Perspective

By C. Angela Mohr Papercutting has many incarnations within the art and craft worlds, as you know. My latest excitement with papercutting came from a connection I had not anticipated, but now see with a whole new perspective – tattoo art!

Last year, while visiting my mother-in-law in Williamsburg, I spent some time with Debbie, a neighbor, talking about this and that and basically getting caught up on life news when she showed me her new Celtic knot tattoo. This was a side of my favorite math teacher I had not expected, but totally understood when she explained how the Celtic knot had meaning that paralleled her philosophy of life. She explained how she had gotten a henna tattoo when her brother finished the Race Across America, but of course those don‘t last.

Of course, I was fascinated and as we talked further I mentioned the idea of hearts and showed her some papercuttings I was working on. (I always keep a little booklet of works-in-progress in my purse.) Debbie liked hearing about the meaning of ‗three‘ within many spiritual traditions. I showed her how to cut paper and felt she did really well for the first time.

When I got home, I sent her a cutting of three hearts in my thank you note.

Lo and behold, but what happens is the papercutting becomes a tattoo! On two people! My art is walking around as a permanent part of two people in the world!

Debbie is not a writer, but her friend Terry wrote a few words to share with you about the experience: Paper Cutting to Tattoo Thanks to Miami Ink and LA Ink, everyone knows there is a story behind each tattoo. Here is ours…

Debbie and I are as different as we are similar. Our similarities hold us together and our differences entertain us. We both work with numbers; she teaches math and I am an analyst. To us there is a symmetry or balance to the universe that can be expressed in patterns or equations. Plus, we live 986 miles apart, and see each other once a year – thank goodness for text and free long distance!

Our decision to get matching tattoos was sort of spur of the moment, and sort of not. She says it was a matter of honor. I got mine first. Then she could not

back down; she had to get hers! She had given her word!

I remember it as a natural decision, one of those decisions that just felt right. We discussed it a few days, and then did it.

A tattoo is generally a solitary decision – choose a design, pick a body part, shop artists, inspect the shop, plunk down cash, and get comfortable, let the pain commence. Getting matching tattoos is an entirely different experience. We chose to sit through the somewhat painful inking process to have matching designs permanently inked onto our bodies. Sometimes we cannot agree on what to have for breakfast, yet, we went to the tattoo shop and picked out our tattoo. I am blessed to have shared such an experience, with my friend, my wonderful friend, not once – but twice!

Our first tattoo was a Celtic knot, an endless ribbon that creates four interlocking hearts, like a four leaf clover, with a knot in the middle. A year later, we discussed adding more color to our tattoos but did not really know what we wanted. Debbie created a copy of our Celtic knot and showed it to several artists, asking them for color and design ideas. We also searched the internet for a companion tattoo, something similar but different. Debbie sent me a package of ideas – our knot with different colors, some Chinese symbols and a design of three interlocking hearts. She called it a papercutting. A what? I could not grasp it. When she came to visit, she brought the paper-cutting. The copy did not come close to showing the artistic perfection of the real thing. When I saw it, I knew it was the design I wanted inked on my body forever – the design I wanted to share with my friend.

The design is three interlocking, stylized heartlike shapes. To Debbie, three is the balance of body, mind and spirit. To me, it is a tribal; a reminder of our bond. To both of us, it is our friendship, a day in a Miami Springs tattoo shop and Angela’s delicate bit of art cut from a piece of paper.

– Terry Sutherland, Debbie Ruge, 08/18/2008 Now, I ask you, what better honor can someone be given than that?! I am humbled and honored and amazed at the power of scissors and black paper!

Above, center UNTITLED papercut of hearts © C. Angela Mohr 2008 Above: Papercut as tattoos

Autumn FirstCut 2008

19

The Art of Letters

By Pat Stuntz Althoughpapercutters papercuttersprimarily primarilytend tendtotowork work Although withpictorial pictorialshapes shapesinintheir theirart, art,letters lettersand andwords wordsoften with often find their way intocompositions, some compositions, find their way into some enhancing the enhancing theorsubject matter becoming theitself, subject subject matter becoming theor subject matter as in matter itself, as in monogram designs. monogram designs.

Theshape shapeand andform formthat thatour ourletters letterstake takeisissoso The familiartotoususthat thatwe wemay mayforget forgetthat thatother otheralphabets alphabets familiar are be also used papercuttings that integrate words may used in in papercuttings that integrate words with with pictorial Oneexample such example is the design pictorial shapes.shapes.

One such is the design and arrangement of and formletters and letters in Judaic arrangement of form in Judaic papercutting. papercutting.

Below is an example of a Judaic Below is an example of a Judaic papercutting

by Zipora papercutting

by Zipora Ne‘eman thatasutilizes Ne‘eman that utilizes Hebrew as well RomanHebrew letter as well as Roman letters. forms.

CHAMSA DOVES © Zipora Ne‘eman 2008

For many of us, though, it is the Latin or Roman For many it is the Latin or Roman alphabet with whichof weus,arethough, most familiar.

The most alphabet with which we are most familiar.

The most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world CHAMSA DOVESsystem © Zipora Ne‘eman 2008 widely used alphabetic writing in the world today, the Roman alphabet, evolved from the westerntoday, the Roman evolvedcalled from the variety of thealphabet Greek alphabet the western Cumaeanvariety of th the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet alphabet around the 7 century B.C. It was initiallyduring th the 7 century It was initially by the developed by theB.C. ancient Romans to developed write the Latin ancient Romans to write the Latin language.

During the language. During the Middle Ages, it was adapted to the Middle Ages, it was adapted to the Romance languages, Romance languages, the direct descendants of Latin, as the as direct descendants of Latin,Baltic, as welland as some the Celtic, well to the Celtic, Germanic, Slavic Germanic, Baltic, and some Slavic languages, and finally languages, and finally to most of the languages of to most of the languages of Europe.

Europe.

20

Autumn FirstCut 2008

The Romans used 23 to letters write Latin: The Romans used just 23 just letters writetoLatin: MN NO OP PQ QR AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIKKLLM R SS T TV VX XY YZ Z There Therewere werenonolower lowercase caseletters, letters,and andK, K,Y,Yand andZZwere were used usedonly onlyfor forwriting writingwords wordsofofGreek Greekorigin. origin.The Theletters letters J,J,U,Uand andW Wwere wereadded addedto tothe thealphabet alphabetatataalater laterstage stageto to write letters other than Latin.

J is a variant of I, U is U a is write languages other than Latin. J is a variant of I, variant of V, WW waswas introduced as aas―double-v‖ a variant of and V, and introduced a 'double-v'toto make a distinction between the sounds we make a distinction between the sounds weknow knowasas―v‖ 'v' and ―w‖, which was unnecessary in Latin.

It wasnot notuntil until and 'w' which was unnecessary in Latin. It was the theMiddle MiddleAges Agesthat thatthe theletter letterWWwas wasadded addedtotothe theLatin Latin alphabet, to represent sounds from the Germanic alphabet, to represent sounds from the Germanic languages languageswhich whichdid didnot notexist existininmedieval medievalLatin.

Latin.Only Only after the Renaissance did the convention of treating after the Renaissance did the convention of treatingI Iand and UUasasvowels, vowels,and andJJand andVVasasconsonants, consonants,become become established. was also during this time period that lower established.It It was also during this time period that case letters use.into use. lower casecame lettersinto came Although Althoughstandardization standardizationofofletter letterforms formsisis important when language is used for written important when language is used for verbal communication, communication,when whenletters lettersare areused usedasasforms formsininanan artistic composition, consistency becomes artistic composition, consistency becomesless lesscritical. critical.

Often Oftencapital capitaland andlower lowercase caseletters lettersare areused usedininvariant variant ways waysbut butstill stillcommunicate communicatea amessage messagetotothe theviewer. viewer.One example is the use ofuse monograms, as canas becan seen the in One example is the of monograms, beinseen designs created by Ingrid Schenck.

Nikki McClure, our the designs of initials created by Ingrid Schenck. Nikki featured Papercutter Profile in this issue, uses single McClure, our featured Papercutter Profile in this issue, words to communicate a thought or emotion that is uses single words to communicate a thought or emotion directly related to the pictorial design. (See her(See workher on that is directly related to the pictorial design. page 12.)

Florinda Strimel also integrates strong letter work on page 12.) Florinda Strimel also integrates strong forms herwith cut her paper Polly Winkler Mitchell letterwith forms cutshapes. paper shapes.

Polly Winkler has composed an entire alphabet papercutting using Mitchell has composed an entire alphabet using thethe theme themeofofchildren‘s children‘sblocks blocksintegrated integratedwith withimages. images.

Finally, one last example of letters used within Finally, one last example of letters used withina apapercut composition is the Altered Book pageBook of theofletter B by B papercut composition is the Altered the letter Angela Mohr.

Here, some of the words are used in

by Angela Mohr. Here, some of the words are useda in a typeface typefaceand andsize sizecommonly commonlyseen seenininbooks, books,while whilethe the letter B itself is highly decorative and proportionately letter B itself is highly decorative and proportionately much muchlarger. larger.

GAP members will have an opportunity to GAP members will have an opportunity to further explore the use of letters and words in cut paper explore the use of letters and words in cut paper compositions for publication in the Winter 2009 issue of compositions for publication in the Winter 2009 issue of FirstCut. Debbie Baird has issued two challenges in her FirstCut. Debbie Baird issues two challenges in her Transitions article on page 26 that utilize the Transitions article on page 25 that utilize the interplay of relationships between words, phrases, and forms in words, phrases, and forms in papercutting. papercutting.

Although standardization of letter forms is important when language is used for written communication, when letters are used as forms in an artistic composition, consistency becomes less critical.

DOGS © Florinda Strimel 2008

UNTITLED © Polly Winkler Mitchell 2008

INITIALS LF © Ingrid Schenck 2008

GROßES G © Ursula Kirchner 2008

UNTITLED © C Angela Mohr 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

21

Most of us are familiar with Auguste Edouart‘s silhouettes of famous personalities of his day. Two contemporary papercutters, both GAP members, have extended the silhouette repertoire of cuttings of famous people to include a ―contour cutting‖ and a full-face image. Ursula Kirchner chose to create a cutting of a famous literary character from a Spanish novel while Susan Throckmorton portrayed a real-life artist in her work.

Ursula explains, ―In June I had an exhibition in Spain, in Celra near Girona. It turned out to be a success.

Since the Spanish have no idea of paper cuts, they wanted me to send them something for the invitation. As I didn‘t have a computer, I just made them the cut-out of ―Don Quixote‖, a man whom everybody knows in Spain.

It is one of the most well known novels in world literature by Cervantes.‖ The novel, written first in 1605, was published in two volumes a decade apart. Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature to emerge from the Spanish Golden Age and perhaps the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears at the top of lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. Although the novel is farcical, the second half is serious and philosophical about the theme of deception. Don Quixote has served as an important thematic source not only in literature but in much of later art and music, inspiring works by Pablo Picasso and Richard Strauss.

Ursula has depicted the tall, thin, fancy-struck, and idealistic Quixote with a cut that is strong on linear form. Her use of spare but critical contours is ideal for the character of Don Quixote.

Susan Throckmorton tells how she came to create a cutting of Frida Kahlo: ―During three different years I spent some time in the winter in Mexico. I stayed in the lovely colonial town of Oaxaca each time, the last time in a wonderful pension, my room opening out onto a wide veranda supported by old columns and enclosing

22

Autumn FirstCut 2008

an open courtyard filled with trees, vines and huge pots of tropical plants. During each day's siesta when it was quiet and most people were taking their afternoon nap, I (not being a good daytime sleeper) would sit out on the veranda at a round wooden table and either read or work on some papercuttings based on things I had seen in the town.

I had always been fascinated by the life of Frida Kahlo. I found her paintings not always very pretty, but strange and haunting and reflecting much of a life of physical pain due to a bus accident she had as a young girl and her turbulent marriage to fellow artist and muralist Diego Rivera. I had read a fascinating biography about her before going on that particular trip to Mexico and so before taking the bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca this time, I decided to stay in Mexico City for several days and, among other things, follow the "Frida trail" and see some of her paintings on display, visit her family home and the twin studios where she and Diego worked.

When I got to my pension in Oaxaca, I was determined to do a papercutting based on one of her paintings. I chose one of her tamer paintings, a selfportrait with a parrot peering from each of her shoulders and placed her in an ornamental frame of my own embellished with flowers and other decorative elements.

I tried to imitate papel picado by connecting her to the frame with a grid of small diamond-shaped cut outs.

Unlike the use of punches and tissue paper in papel picado, however, I used my scissors and black silhouette paper. For several days I sat out at the round table in the heat of the day working on my picture.

When I was finished, I walked up the street from my pension to a small gallery which sold a fragile kind of hand-made paper called amatl made from the pulp of mulberry and fig trees and used as far back as preColumbian times. The gallery had two colors, a natural brown and a bleached white. I bought some rolls of each and used the white for mounting the black picture and then placed that, in turn, on another background of the brown paper.‖

DON QUIXOTE © Ursula Kirchner 2008

Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature to emerge from the Spanish Golden Age and perhaps the entire Spanish literary canon. Ursula Kirchner used the figure of Don Quixote as the cover of an invitation for a papercutting show she had in Spain.

FRIDA KAHLO © Susan Throckmorton 2008

Susan Throckmorton found Frida Kahlo’s paintings not always very pretty, but strange and haunting and reflecting much of a life of physical pain due to a bus accident she had as a young girl and her turbulent marriage to fellow artist and muralist Diego Rivera.

Autumn FirstCut 2008

23

Cuttings From the Past

By Susan S. Hahn Found pressed between the pages of a beautiful old 1808 leather-bound book from Lebanon, Pennsylvania was this early papercutting. This cutting found between its pages is a rather crudely done example. The border has been cut with the traditional jagged edges and appears to have some woven elements of paper incorporated into the design, suggesting that it may have been a 'love token.' It probably dates from the early 1800's and is stained with age.

The book itself dates to 1808 and was written in German by Jacob Schnee. It is held together with metal clasps. Besides the cutting, it is interesting to note that a woven hair piece, which was used as a bookmark, was also found in the pages of the book. Photos of these items appear here.

All three were part of an auction. The final bid price for the cutting was $108.49 and sold in August 2007.

Thanks go to Jean Coutros & Phillip Massie of Dover, PA 17315 for their kind permission to use their photos and information on this auction.

 The two photos above show the cutting near the antique book.

 The close-up photo of the antique papercutting shows the detail of the woven feature as well as the jagged edges.

24

Autumn FirstCut 2008

 The photo above shows the hair weaving that accompanied the paper cutting.

Transitions

By Debbie Baird Greetings, Fellow Schnipsters!

By the time you read this, we will be in the thick of football season, leaves changing, and getting ready for Halloween. If you look at the illustration that accompanies this column, you will see what our topic is.

Pat Stuntz asked me if I could coordinate the topics of my columns with the Members‘ Homework assignments. You will notice that one of the assignments for the winter issue is to illustrate a favorite quote of yours.

Challenge #1 My challenge to you could overlap with the Homework assignment or take you in a different direction. I want you to combine the humorous vein from the previous column, but also respond to some words for your design ideas. I created a ―play on words‖ to set the tone for your designs. Pick a favorite word of yours – it could be a compound word or a recently learned word that conjures up visual images for you. If a single word does not work for you, choose a phrase like a simile, idiom, or metaphor. Phrases like: ―slow as molasses in January‖, ―with a twinkle in his eye‖, or ―skinny as a beanpole‖ are appropriate examples. (If you are not coming up with anything, then Google these words, or go to a grammar website for help.) I can‘t wait to see what you send in. Be sure to identify the word or phrase for us, just in case we can‘t crack the visual clue.

PLAY ON WORDS © Debbie Baird 2008

And look what Edie Johnstone created for the design challenge from the summer issue when she ―morphed‖ a pair of scissors into a bird! She told us she added the dragonfly as her ―humor factor‖ when the bird was surprised by the dragonfly choking it.

Challenge #2 Some of you will remember the TV show ―Rocky and Bullwinkle‖. This was a cartoon show that had clean humor and was way ahead of its time. One of their segments was on ―Fractured Fairy Tales‖ where they took a standard fairy tale and added a twist to it in some way. For this challenge you can do this with a standard simile, idiom, or metaphor that you use frequently, or use one that you have created on your own. Take it to a higher level, up a notch, and add your own idiosyncratic touch of humor combined with your visual design/cutting skills. People with deafness have created their own idioms for American Sign Language.

You could create one of these for your visual if you want. The door is wide open. Have fun and I hope to see several of you rise to this challenge. I know you have it in you!!

OOPS! © Edie Johnstone 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

25

INCHIES

By Beatriz Goodpasture

I finally found a use for all those tiny papercuts I made when practicing my cutting techniques. I incorporated them into INCHIES. And ... what a great way to use all that saved scrap paper!

What is an INCHIE? It is a mini collage on a one-inch square. I learned about the concept in an article

by Normajean Brevik in the August/September 2007 QUILTING ARTS MAGAZINE. Normajean described how she used the too-small scraps of fabric she had been saving. She credited her paper art sisters with coming up with the Inchie concept. To see samples of her work check the internet under her name (Normajean Brevik Inchies.)

Inchies are a great way to use those paper scraps you just can't throw away. Paper Inchies are portable and easy to construct. Use a one-inch square of cardstock as

a base for a mini-papercut. Affix a mini-papercut. The result is a mini art piece. I use small scissors and a pair of tweezers to make construction easier. If you wish, you can embellish the Inchie. I incorporate the Inchies on my Artists Trading Cards. (See samples.)

There are lots of ways you can use paper Inchies. They can be added as embellishments to necklaces and bracelets. Make an Inchie magnet, earrings, a pin, or a mobile! Frame your Inchie! Create a wall art piece. They make excellent gifts.

I have also made fabric pins embellished with beads and fibers. Put some STIFFY (fabric stiffener) on scrap fabric. Fabric is stiff and will not fray. STIFFY makes cutting fabric easy. (ATC with doll inchies.)

As Fred Babb said, "Go to your studio and make stuff!"

Make some Inchies!

ď ° The photo above shows the variety of design ideas that can be created using the idea of INCHIES.

26

Autumn FirstCut 2008

In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.

And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb color effects as from August to November."  ONE FOR YOU © Edie Johnstone X-acto knife and scissors, black scherenschnitte paper, 4‖ x 5 ¼‖

- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905

 HARVEST © Christine Smith 2008

 UNTITLED © Susan Lazarchek 2008  WILLY TRUPP PHEASANT © Peggy Gleason 2008

Autumn FirstCut 2008

27

From the Archives Ed. Note: The cuttings shown below are a sampling of some that Kathy Reed, Linda Peck, and Pat Stuntz viewed when going through some of the stored materials at Laurel Arts this past spring.

The September 1990 masthead of FirstCut © Tsirl Waletsky

HAPPY HOLIDAYS © Ursula Hamann 1997

28

Autumn FirstCut 2008

UNTITLED © Susan Lazarchek 2008

Spring Transitions Challenge of Organic Shapes © Edie Johnstone 2008

The Guild of American Papercutters‘ publication, FIRSTCUT, welcomes and encourages its members to submit artwork, articles, commentary, and Papercutter Profiles for publication.

All submissions should be sent to Pat Stuntz, 10 Cardinal Drive, Fleetwood, PA 19522 pnstuntz@dejazzd.com

SOMETIMES SHE TALKS TO CROWS © Nikki McClure 2008

Paper Angels Members and institutions contributing financial support to the Guild of American Papercutters are welcomed blessings –Paper Angels.

To submit artwork: Clear black/white photocopies of an original papercut may be mailed to the above address. Digital images may be postal mailed via CD or emailed.

Label each item with identifying information (name, address, title of work, dimensions, date cut, tools and materials used).

To submit articles: Send articles in Microsoft Word format via email or on a CD. If that option is unavailable, articles may be mailed as a typed manuscript. To submit a Papercutter Profile, send a one page typed essay about the member including information about how papercutting became an interest, tools and techniques used, any personal papercutting advice or tips for other members, and examples of the member‘s work.

(Follow artwork submission requirements.)

Submission implies permission for Guild use according to need and space. FIRSTCUT reserves the right to edit articles where necessary. Any submission is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of its creator, who owns all rights. As a courtesy, the author/artist will inform GAP of subsequent publications and request that FirstCut be cited as the original source.

You can be a Paper Angel by making a tax-exempt donation beyond your membership, a Celebration Contribution in someone else‘s name for a birthday or anniversary, or a Memorial Gift in a loved one‘s name. Mail a check or money order in any amount payable to Guild of American Papercutters, Paper Angel Program P.O. Box 384 214 South Harrison Ave, Somerset, PA 15501 (ANGEL© 2008 Sukey Harris)

Visit the updated GAP website at www.papercutters.org and join in the various discussions in the Community area!

Don‘t forget the FrontPorchGapsters information inside!