"Cut It Out" Images and "Symbiosis" Paper Cut

Well, my solo exhibit at the library has come down.  I am so grateful to everyone who came out to see the show.  I am grateful to Bettina Mead, Robin Shader, and everyone at the Bay County Public Library for welcoming me and my art.

Here are some images from the show:

"Cut It Out: Paper Cut Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL.  March, 2013

"Cut It Out: Paper Cut Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL.  March, 2013

"Cut It Out: Paper Cut Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL.  March, 2013

"Cut It Out: Paper Cut Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL.  March, 2013

"Cut It Out: Paper Cut Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL.  March, 2013

Now that the exhibit is over, I can reveal online my largest paper cut yet, "Symbiosis I"  It is 30" x 53. 5" with an acrylic background.  The hair alone took me two days.

Symbiosis:

noun ( pl. symbioses |-ˌsēz| ) Biology    interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.

 

"Symbiosis I" hand-cut paper, acrylic, 30" x 53.5", by Heather Clements, 2013

"Symbiosis I" (detail) by Heather Clements, 2013

"Symbiosis I" (detail) by Heather Clements, 2013

"Symbiosis I" (detail, from an angle) by Heather Clements, 2013

Inspiration Source #15:  A free school under a bridge in India.  Need I say more?  That's an inspiration.  See more images and read more about it here.

Thank you for letting me share with you!

-Heather

Abundance Paper Cut

I recently finished a new paper cut called, "Abundance."  The original sketch for this piece is a continuos line drawing, which is a drawing made entirely out of one uninterrupted line.  You begin with your pen or pencil down on the paper, and cannot lift it until the drawing is complete.  It is a common drawing exercise, and I always love it.  It increases the meditative state entered when drawing, strengthens the connection between the lines we see and the lines we draw, and produces beautiful results.  It also lends itself well to a paper-cutting, where everything must be connected.  The connection of the paper represents the connection of all things natural.  We are not separate from our environment, but a part of it.

"Abundance" (in progress) hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements, 2013

"Abundance" (in progress) hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements, 2013

Cut out paper scraps, on my wonderful self-healing cutting mat

"Abundance" hand-cut paper, 8"x10", by Heather Clements, 2013

"Abundance" (detail) hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements, 2013

 Green Tip #15:  Ditch paper towels for real towels.  This one is pretty simple and obvious.  Also, like many eco-friendly home practices, you get used to it quickly, and it becomes force of habit.  We use dish towels and rags for anything most other people would use paper towels for.  People have only been using paper towels for less than a hundred years, and once you don't have them in your house you realize how much you didn't need them.


Thank you so much for visiting my site!
-Heather

My Dad's Song, My Old Theme

My Dad recently came out with a new album.  He is a musician and was one of my earliest sources of inspiration.  Hell, I was too young to remember, but he was probably my very first source of inspiration.  I was so fortunate to have such a creative father, who was also artistically talented, to teach me and encourage my passion that began at such an early age.  (I also have to give a shout-out to my mom, while she is an accountant, she has always been just as supportive of my artistic endeavors.)

Back to his album.  Just a few months ago he received a mandolin as a gift.  Since then he has not only learned an entirely new instrument, but has recorded a new album featuring the mandolin in every song.  One of his songs, which he actually wrote long before I was born, has some interesting lyrics:

When you shake your head
hummingbirds and leaves
fall from your hair
When you breath
its the wind
begins to blow on me
When you smile
its the moon
when you laugh
its the sun
And hummingbirds and leaves
fall from you hair

Of course, he also recognized the strong ties with my current art.  It brings to light that my theme is not a new one.  My father touched on it decades before me, but really the theme is as old as nature itself.  The motif of interdependence and symbiotic relationships between species, is not limited to our current culture, or even our species.  My art simply explores a connection that all other species seem to have, but that the people of our culture have lost.  The reason I make art now on this subject matter is because it has such great importance right now, in what could be a great turning point for our society.

"Hibiscus: Delicate Beauty" (detail), hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements, 2012

"Ecocide VI" 16"x20", hand-cut paper, 2011, and "Birds in Her Hair" 9"x7", hand-cut paper, 2011.


Inspiration Source #14: Ursula Populoh.  On the other theme of lifelong creativity, Ursula is a 70 year old freshman at the amazing art school I got my degree from, the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Thanks for reading,

-Heather

Handmade Paper Cuts II

Here are three more paper cuts made from my own handmade paper.  They are all currently on display at the Bay County Public Library.  My exhibit has been extended until April 11th, so go check it out!

"Emanate IV" hand-cut handmade paper, watercolor, 7"x9", by Heather Clements, 2013. *SOLD

"Emanate V" hand-cut, handmade paper, watercolor, 17"x17", by Heather Clements, 2013

"Emanate III" hand-cut handmade paper, watercolor, 17"x17", by Heather Clements, 2013

"Emanate III" (detail) by Heather Clements

Yummy, yummy texture.


Green Tip #14:  Fix things.  When something breaks, don't just throw it away and get a new one.  I know, new things are exciting and shiny, but if you trash the old to buy the new, you are contributing to the overwhelming amount of waste on this planet, as well as our consumer-driven society.  Americans especially are so wasteful.  I can't tell you how many great items in our house came from alleys where people have thrown out slightly broken items.  Like a chair slightly broken, they couldn't be bothered with it to just add a few screws to, so we rescue a perfectly good piece of furniture, give it some love, and bam, a great chair.  When something isn't working, investigate, take it apart, see if you can fix it yourself!  Not handy?  I'm sure you must know someone who is!  Barter with them.  If they fix your toaster, you'll make them a dinner.  Wouldn't it be nicer to have dinner with a friend as you exchange your talents, than just having a new toaster?

Products these days are intentionally made to break within a certain time frame.  Really.  So if you pay a little more for a quality product from a trusted local store, you not only support the local little guy, but you'll be saving yourself money in the long run when your product lasts longer than the crap at Wal-Mart.



Thank you for the visit!
-Heather

Handmade Paper Cuts, Emanate I and II

I have been saving the scraps from my paper cuts for quite a while.  I saved them to recycle them into handmade paper.  I still have a lot to learn about the process, but I was pleasantly surprised how well my paper turned out.  I absolutely love the natural texture created.  Even so, I was doubtful about the possibilities of actually being able to make a cut paper piece of art out of this beautiful stuff.  And again, I was amazed when I could!  It's definitely different than cutting store-bought, smooth, even paper.  I can't get nearly as much detail, which adds to the challenge, and as many of us know, there is creativity within limitations.

Here are the first two paper cuts I made from my handmade paper.  The background is also handmade paper, painted with watercolor.

"Emanate I" 17"x17", handmade paper cut, watercolor, by Heather Clements, 2013

"Emanate I" (detail), by Heather Clements

"Emanate II" 17"x17", handmade paper cut, watercolor, by Heather Clements, 2013

"Emanate I" (detail), by Heather Clements

There is something so beautifully cyclical about using the cut-out pieces of old art to create new art.


Inspiration Source #13: HiiH handmade paper lights.  HiiH Lights (pronounced "Hi Hi") is Lâm Quang and Kestral Gates; artists and parents based in Portland Oregon.  Watch this amazing video showing the making of some of the most beautiful lighting I have ever seen, made with handmade paper!

HiiH Lights from Cineastas on Vimeo.


Thank you for the visit!

-Heather

Rhapsody II, Artist Talk II

Remember my paper cut, "Rhapsody"?  Well I really liked that piece, so I decided to make "Rhapsody II"

Dictionary Definition:

rhapsody |ˈrapsədē|noun1 an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling: rhapsodies of praise.• Music a free instrumental composition in one extended movement, typically one that is emotional or exuberant in character.

This is one of my newer works currently on display at the Bay County Public Library, until April 3rd.

"Rhapsody II" detail, hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements

"Rhapsody II" hand-cut paper, 16"x20", by Heather Clements

"Rhapsody II" detail, hand-cut paper, by Heather Clements

Process of "Rhapsody II" paper cut

I wanted to have a little fun with this one, so these photos happened.

Heather Clements behind her cut paper

Heather Clements peeks behind her cut paper

I would also like to announce that due to popular demand I will be giving my "Cut It Out" artist talk one more time!  So if you missed the first one, do not fret!  Your second chance will be Sunday, March 24th, at 2pm.  My art will still be up on the walls of the library, as well.

Cut It Out, Artist Talk, Round Two, Bay County Public Library

Green Tip #13:  Line Dry Your Clothes.  Estimations say that electric clothes dryers account for almost 6% of total electricity usage in U.S. homes.  Why pay to dry your clothes when the sun and the wind will do it at no harm to your wallet or the planet?  PLUS clothes put out on the line to dry last much longer than clothes used in a dryer.  PLUS the sun has stain-removing powers.  PLUS how beautiful is it to see clothes softly swinging in the breeze?  The image below was taken from a great article about line drying your clothes.  Check it out for more tips on drying clothes both inside and out:  Eco Child's Play: Line Drying Your Clothes.

Thank you, blog visitors!

-Heather

"Cut It Out" Opening Recap

Well, the big day I have been working towards for the better part of a year has finally come and gone.  It was the opening, artist talk, and book release for "Cut It Out: Cut Paper Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library.  Now I can relax.... NOT.  I have put off many things in order to concentrate on my solo exhibit at the library, and now I have a million things to do, including two big commissions.  Those commissions are both going to be really awesome to create, though!

But I digress, back to talking about the opening.

The artist talk:

This was what I was most nervous about.  My artist talks before have been more autobiographical and surface level in relation to the concepts in my art.  But with the opportunity to talk to a large group of people about my art, this time I decided it was time to dive a little deeper.  Sometimes I am afraid to talk too in-depth about the meaning behind my art, because I'm afraid of scaring people off.  They may be turned off by my message, and I still have to sell art and make a living.  But how can I passionately make art with so much meaning and not talk about that openly?  So I spent a lot of time preparing for this talk, complete with images of art dating as far back as high school.  I shared researched facts, quotes, and raw emotions on some of the things I think about when creating my art.  And to my surprise, everyone seemed to really like it!  I got a lot of compliments on the talk!

My first published book release:

I sold out!  People even had me sign their books like I was some sort of writer or book-publisher or celebrity or something.

Did you want a book?  Okay!  You can buy one at lulu.com!

Some photos from the opening:

The beginning of my artist talk at the Bay County Public Library!

Selling my books!

To everyone who attended: Thank you so so much!  It means the world to me that you came!

And thanks to Tony Simmons for writing such a great article for the News Herald!  To read the full article online, click here.

Have I mentioned how much I love being an artist?  Well I do.  A lot.  Yay!


Inspiration Source #12: The Art of Asking.  Don't make people pay for music, says musician Amanda Palmer: Let them.  In a passionate talk that begins in her days a s a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan.

Watch it.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Heather