Maude White
Today I bring you the expert paper carvings of Maude White, whose work ranks amongst the most delicate, intricate paper work I’ve seen. I’m flabbergasted by what she does with hair!
Her artist statement is quite interesting:
I come from a family of visual storytellers. I have always believed that our vision is as important as our hearing when we communicate. Very rarely do we rely on words alone. It is what we see, and how our brains interpret what we see that shapes our perceptions and actions. I began cutting paper with that understanding. I want my art to communicate to the observer what my words cannot do effectively.
When I was a child I thought a great deal about hidden spaces. The intimacy, the hushed secrecy – I was always looking underneath objects, or through them. I have always believed that if you look hard enough, you will see something precious and new, or, perhaps, something incredibly ancient and sacred.
When I cut paper, I feel as if I am peeling back the outer, superficial layer of our vision to reveal the secret space beneath. With paper cutting there are so many opportunities to create negative space that tells its own story. Letting the observer become present in the piece allows him or her to look through it. I like the idea of the stark contrast between the black and white paper, and the cut nature of the work makes my art more three-dimensional than paint on canvas.
I have great respect for paper. When I cut, the thin membranous material reveals its strength to me. No matter how small my cuts the paper holds. There is a certain comfort in that, a comfort I enjoy. I feel that there are very few things in the world as reliable and constant as paper. Paper is everywhere and it has been telling stories for centuries. By respecting and honoring paper for what it is, and not considering it a stepping-stone to something greater, I feel like I am communicating some of the pleasure it brings to me. I am not creating for Art’s sake. I am creating for Paper’s sake, to make visible the stories that every piece of paper attempts to communicate to us.
The shadow projections each piece creates are incredible:
SheWalksSoftly 
January 23, 2015 at 10:43 pm
Extremely impressive! The hair looks like waterfalls and wind. It looks so fragile compared to the seahorse one which looks so much thicker and bolder. Incredible!
January 24, 2015 at 1:06 am
Maybe I was too hasty in my searching, but I’m really curious about HOW she cuts such precise detail. Laser? Exacto knife? Telekinesis?
January 24, 2015 at 7:06 pm
I dunno… I was thinking she had some crazy sharp exacto. She must buy blades in bulk!!! What sold me on these are the shadows each cut out casts. Now that is impressive! I have seen this in passing on-line but I never saw the shadow casting part! Awesome! I wish I knew her 😉 I’d commission her!!
January 27, 2015 at 12:44 am
You might be able to contact her for commission anyway!