I've known about the work of Suzy Taylor of Folk Art Papercut for a while. As I harbour a secret desire to become a papercut artist too someday (and I know how difficult it must be to create such intricate and beautiful designs), I am completely in awe of her work. As you will find out, it has been a relatively short time since she first picked up a scalpel, which makes the standard of work she now produces even more astounding. I find it completely inspirational and so I decided to interview her for this feature on my blog, in order to share her work with you. It's a fairly long post, so grab a cup of coffee, settle down comfortably, and prepare to immerse yourself in her magical world. Keep your eyes open for her tips and advice if you'd like to try this art form for yourself - I hope you enjoy it!
Folk Art Houses and Trees. © Suzy Taylor
Q: Hi Suzy - thanks for agreeing to this interview! Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into papercutting.
A: Well, I work from home in North London, surrounded by my husband, three children and two cats. So my papercutting definitely has to fit in around school-run schedules and mealtimes!
I didn't go to art college, but creating art has always been a major part of my life. In 1999, after the birth of my second son, I set up a business at home making polymer clay figurines for children. It became pretty successful actually and I was getting online orders from all over the world. But after about 5 years of doing that I got a little tired of making endless footballers and fairies! So, at that point I took up mosaics and did some short courses with an amazing mosaic artist called Emma Biggs. And for the next few years, mosaics were my focus - although I didn't ever do it professionally as I was still a learner. Throughout those few years I think I was really looking for my "thing". Something I loved and that I could really excel at. And although I really loved making mosaics, it just wasn't a practical art form for me to do from home and I wasn't in the position to have a separate workshop.
So, how did I get into papercutting? That's a really good question, because it was really just by chance. Papercutting was one of those crafts that had always been on my radar. I'd had a book about it sitting on my shelf for about 10 years and I loved flicking through it and being amazed at the intricacies of the pictures, but I'd never actually tried it myself. Also, by this point in my life I'd recently had my third child and mosaics were completely impractical with a toddler to look after. I was again looking for my "thing"! I was a keen Flickr user and had been posting my mosaic photos and other arts and crafts on there for a few years. While browsing one day, I came across some paintings that had been influenced by Rob Ryan's papercuttings. I followed a few links and I just felt that this was what I should be doing. I'd become quite drawn to the folk art genre for some time, so I thought I'd combine the two things and just have a go.
Folk Art Tree and Garden. © Suzy Taylor
[Suzy's first attempt at papercutting]
My first effort [see above] was cut from a 6" square of black origami paper with a horribly blunt scalpel that I'd had lying around for years! It's of a tree on top of a patchwork hill. I didn't really know what I was doing and the cutting is pretty crude, but I was still pleased enough with the result to post it onto Flickr, and I had some really lovely responses from people - someone even blogged that first rough attempt. But, as they say, after that I was hooked!
Q: Your first attempt at papercutting, although a little rough around the edges, is amazing! You're obviously a natural papercut artist, as you seemed to show a lot of promise right from the start. However, I'm astounded by how intricate and professional your work has become in just two years! How many hours a week do you spend on papercutting?
A: There isn't a straightforward answer to that question I'm afraid! I suppose I must have recognised my own potential as I gave myself quite big challenges fairly early on. This meant that my learning curve was pretty steep. I don't have a regular cutting schedule though. At the moment the papercutting is still something that has to fit round my family life with three kids - the youngest is only 3. If I'm working on an intricate piece then I might be able devote 3 to 4 hours a day on it. But some days I don't manage any cutting at all. This is particularly true in the school holidays when I get no time to myself! So you can see why I can't really give you a weekly figure.
Folk Art Tree with Alphabet Birds. © Suzy Taylor
Q: I'm interested to know who or what inspires you, and do you have any favourite papercut artists you'd like to share with us?
A: I'm inspired by nature and anything "olde worlde". My earlier papercuts were inspired by the paintings of American folk artists Warren Kimble and Jane Wooster Scott. My house cross-sections contain many items that I've spotted in the pages of Period Living Magazine - I suppose I try to produce pictures that I'd quite like to live in! I live in Finchley (North London) and as great as it is for my kids' schools and husband's work, it really doesn't inspire me creatively. Our plan is to leave London as soon as the kids leave school and live somewhere beautiful with lots of space and not many neighbours! There are so many great papercutting artists out there. I have three favourites: Beatrice Coron, whose work has been made into amazing cut steel and aluminium and looks fantastic; Bovey Lee, whose style couldn't be more different to my own, but is so precise and clean - it's just gorgeous; and finally Elsa Mora, whose work is so structural and whimsical and truly brilliant. All three are completely inspirational papercut artists.
Birds and Flowers. © Suzy Taylor
Q: Regarding your work, what plans do you have for the future and where do you see yourself in ten years' time?
Q: Regarding your work, what plans do you have for the future and where do you see yourself in ten years' time?
My plans are just to keep creating. I still feel very much like a beginner in the art world. I started off selling on Etsy and only recently plucked up the courage to exhibit at my first ever art fair, which was the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair back in November. It went very well and I received some very positive feedback and sold quite a few pieces. I'd love to do some more exhibitions and fairs and ideally get some of my work into a gallery - that would be really lovely. In ten years' time I would hope to be a much more established artist, creating ridiculously intricate papercuts and commissioned pieces! That would be wonderful.
Q: Do you have any tips or advice you'd like to pass on to people who would like to try papercutting (such as myself!)?
A: My advice to anyone who would like to try papercutting (such as yourself!) is just to have a go! BUT, don't have a go without a good quality self-healing cutting mat and a really good craft knife. Some papercutting artists prefer silhouette scissors but I find that I have much more control with a knife and the paper can remain flat on the table. My "weapon of choice" is the Xcelite knife (available online). I've heard that the Xacto is also very good. Just make sure that whatever you choose, the blade is held firmly in the handle - there's nothing more irritating than a wobbly blade. I have tried the swivel blade knife, but it's not easy at all. The blade is tiny and it's very difficult to see what you're doing - so avoid that one.
The other tip is don't be tempted to use thick paper. Something thin and strong is much better and kinder on the hand too! I used to use a dedicated Scherenschnitte paper (the German word for papercutting) which had a fantastic velvety matt black surface on one side and was white on the reverse. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be available anymore. So now I use black poster paper from Paperchase. Again, it's white on the reverse which means I can draw everything out on the back and cut from the back and just flip it over when it's all done. It's available in all sorts of colours.
I would suggest that beginners start with something relatively simple, like a stylised tree or head silhouette for example. Get used to the way the knife feels and how you can manipulate it. Just draw something out in your own style and start cutting. If your hand slips and you and slice off a leaf by mistake, you can repair it on the back with a tiny piece of tape. The great thing about trying papercutting is that it's not an expensive art form. The materials are pretty inexpensive, it's not too messy and you can get beautiful results quite quickly. You also don't really need to be amazing at drawing. If you look at some early papercuts, the actual drawings were really quite naive, but somehow that just lends to the charm - it is a folk art after all - so just go for it!
Text © Natasha Newton & Suzy Taylor 2011
Images © Suzy Taylor
Please do not reproduce without permission.
