Engram
Jennifer D. Anderson
Hand Cut Paper
I taught elementary art for many years and teaching children to hold scissors is a huge benchmark in their learning. Teaching children to make scissors open and close is another huge benchmark in fine motor skill development. And the final achievement in this process is the obvious use of the tool in cutting simple shapes. Some children need little if any coaching, others are proficient from the start. My guess is that Jennifer D. Anderson was a star snowflake maker before she even reached kindergarten.
Deposition
At the opening reception last Friday we had nearly 100 visitors to the gallery. Awed by the beauty of these works most patrons were wooed by the sublime images that floated in and out of focus as your eyes tried to decide whether to look at the image on the paper, or on the cut work.
The Signs
Eventually the questions showed up..."how did she hand cut these?"
The Appointment
Many reverted to their own experiences of cutting snowflakes and figured they were folded and symmetrically cut. But as observers became more involved in what they were seeing they noticed that there were no creases...thus no folding.
Then the light comes on..."Oh, my gosh, she used an Exacto knife?" You know that pointy knife-like thing that you tell kids not to play with because they could cut their fingers off? To cut paper this well, the knives have to be very sharp, so Jennifer changes them often, using over 450 of these blades to create the 34 pieces of art in this exhibit.
On High
Not only do the blades in the knives have to be very sharp, but the artist behind the blades also needs to be very sharp. Creating artwork with this technical precision requires an artist with a demand for high ideals in craftsmanship (these fragile patterns could be ruined with a quick slip of the knife), incredible focus, excellent fine motor skills, and dedication to the process.
Described as "meditative," Jennifer's hand cutting juxtaposes the traditional work of women-lace making-over the traditional work of men-painting. By melding the two into a singular work, she brings the creative concepts from a bygone era into the 21st Century.
The exhibit runs through September 28, 2013
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 12 PM - 9 PM
Sunday: 1 PM - 5 PM
Closed: Monday
Robin Scully Boucher-Curator
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