Beginning in ancient China, paper cut art has been a very distinctive style of art for centuries, the handicrafts originated from 6th century women pasting cuttings of gold and silver foil in their hair around their temples. Since then, the art of paper cutting has transformed into various different forms and is used by many different cultures and communities. Paper cut stencils are used and filled in with colourful powdered materials to create Rangoli in Indian and Hindu households, mostly for celebrations or festivals. The art of paper cutting was also revived in the Jewish community in the 20th century by creating intricate artworks as ornamental wall plaques to represent the east known as ‘Mizrachs’. Paper cut art is also used to decorate a Jewish Ketubah, a traditional Jewish marriage contract stating the date, the bride and groom’s names and in some communities, the responsibilities and obligations the groom has to the bride.
Angela Read, is a paper cutting artist in the North East who specialises in the paper cut collaging. Angela creates breathtaking floral scenes with wonderful wildlife using her paper cutting and collage skills from delicate chrysanthemum petals to fuzzy bumble bees Angela’s work is truly eye-catching and stunning to look at.
Starting the process, like many, with a sketch of the design, Angela then relines the design with an ink pen to create a more defined line before cutting specific parts of the design and layering small pieces of coloured card behind. In addition, Angela also uses Promarkers, which was how she originally got into art, to add smaller coloured details either on the original paper cut sheet or as layered pieces on top of the design. These combined techniques create a layer of depth and makes each final piece of art unique and special with how much time and effort is put into creating all the fine details of the pieces.
Angela has a talent for creating scenes that look like they have been taken straight out of a garden with fluttering butterflies and bumble bees surrounding the colourful flowers. It is a great way to bring a bit of spring or summer into your home all year round.
To see Angela Read’s full collection visit her artist page here
To find out more about Angela and her work, read her artist interview here