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| Scherenschnitte. It’s pronounced SHARE-en-shnit-tah
and it’s a mouthful of a word for such a simple concept.
Literally translated from German to English, it means “scissor-cut.”
And cutting paper into decorative patterns is what it’s
all about, even though scherenschnitte practitioners
frequently use craft knives in addition to, or sometimes instead
of, scissors. But for such a simple concept, it’s an art
form that has thrived for centuries and taken root in a variety
of cultures. |
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| Though we probably didn’t know it at the time, most
of us got an introduction to scherenschnitte in grade
school. Starting with a sheet of crisp white paper, we folded
it into quarters or eighths and took up our round-tipped scissors.
Guided by our teacher – or, if we were more adventurous,
by our instincts – we snipped bits and chunks away from
the edges and corners of the rectangle. Then, as if by magic,
we unfolded a delicate, symmetrical snowflake. Paper, scissors,
hands, imagination. That’s scherenschnitte at
its most basic. |
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| Scientific illustrator, painter, and master paper cutter Rick
Jones of Redwood City, California, first experienced scherenschnitte
in just this way. And – again like most of us –
Rick tucked his paper-cut snowflakes away in the “fond
childhood memories” compartment. |
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| There they stayed until, years later, he enrolled in a course
in Mexican folk art. Among the course topics was paper cutting,
(papel picado, literally “punched paper”
in Spanish, and pronounced pah-PEL pih-CAH-dough). Rick was
immediately touched and captivated by the elaborate images produced
by Mexican paper artists. He picked up scissors and tried his
hand. |
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| The paper-cut images were complex and challenging, like his
scientific illustrations, and they offered a new medium for
the drafting skills he had honed for years. “Paper cutting
was a natural extension of drawing,” Rick says, since
the patterns are usually drawn onto the paper before being cut
out. Paper cutters less skilled at drawing may trace their images.
Some – like Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish
storyteller who often accompanied the telling of his stories
with an impromptu scherenschnitte – simply fold
their paper and snip away freehand. (These intricate patterns
make wonderful additions to scrapbook pages. These days, scrapbookers
can purchase a wide selection of laser-cuts that emulate hand-made
papercuts. Or, you can snip your own using patterns available
online or at your local paper crafts store.) |
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But the allure for Rick was more than technique.
He also found papercuts to be an ideal medium for exploring
ideas or themes that interest him. He often gets his ideas
from a phrase he comes across in his reading. “Shaker
blessing” (see illustration) is a good example.
And he frequently draws his imagery from the life forms
he depicts in his scientific illustrations. |
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Rick hasn’t lost touch with the allure
of those magical scherenschnitte s nowflakes.
He’s produced many more of them over the years.
And now, he’s designed “Pacific
snowflake,” a new snowflake exclusively for
you to download, print out, and use to embellish your
winter-themed pages. |
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Rick’s creation evokes the complexity
of plump, fragile flakes whirling toward us in a big winter
storm. Look closely and you’ll discover some marvellous
creatures lurking about! Stay snug, and happy snipping |
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| Learn more |
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| Rick Jones fell in love with an art form whose history is
long and rich. The art of paper cutting probably originated
in China. Paper was first produced there in the first century
A.D., and by 1000 A.D. scherenschnitte was very popular
among the Chinese. (Scissors of various kinds have been around
since the fifth century B.C.) |
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| Paper cutting spread widely, Rick points out, in part because
the tools and materials are inexpensive and readily available.
“In many countries,” he says, “papercuts were
both decorative and practical. For example, they were used to
decorate china cabinets, but also for window coverings.” |
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| Many of us have paper-cutting blood in our cultural veins.
In addition to China and Mexico, countries known for their paper-cutting
tradition include Japan, Egypt, the Ottoman empire, Germany,
Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.
There’s a strong history of scherenschnitte in
Jewish culture, too. Cut paper artists from across the centuries
have created a fascinating body of work displayed in art museums
and galleries and in private collections around the world. |
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| To get in touch with Rick Jones, just send him an e-mail at
rickjo@sonic.net. |
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| To see examples of papercutting from a variety of times and
places, and to learn more about this still-vibrant art form,
you can start with the following books: |
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| Scherenschnitte: Designs and Techniques for Traditional
Papercutting, Susanne Schäpfer-Geiser, Lark Books,
1996. |
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| Folk Art Designs from Polish Wycinanki and Swiss and German
Scherenschnitte, Ramona Jablonski, Stemmer House, 1978. |
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| Jewish Papercuts: A History and Guide, Joseph and
Yehudit Shadur, The Judah L. Magnes Museum/Gefen Books, 1994. |
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| The Amazing Papercuttings of Hans Christian Andersen,
Beth Wagner Brust, Houghton Mifflin, 1994. |
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| Mexican Papercutting: Simple Techniques for Creating Colourful
Cut-Paper Projects, Kathleen Trenchard, Lark Books, 1998. |
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