Rock, paper, scissors

Since early this year I have been slowly working on a 15 part (20 x 20 cm “tiles”), collage work, for my “leaf” theme. The piece is inspired by the many different, internal structure, patterns I have discovered in Eucalypt leaves when examining them closely.

It is going to take a while yet to get all of the parts of the leaf shapes attached to each other and then to the tiles but at least the majority of the delicate cutting is complete. It has been a long process. The cutting is not something I usually do in my studio during the day but rather in the evenings, sitting on the sofa and listening to an audio book, since the task is quite relaxing and does not require much brain power, but is so very time consuming.

Most leaf shapes in the collage consist of a background and a pattern layer. Where the pattern is fine, I may spend a whole evening on the cutting for just one leaf with my tiny pair of scissors. Cut paper shards pile up in my lap as I laboriously snip away and at the end of the evening when I stand up and brush myself down, a cascade of tiny paper fragments scatter across the floor. They are quite elusive and often evade my dustpan and brush. Sometimes I still find the odd fragment clinging to my clothes or wedged in between the sofa cushions or on the floor in some other part of the house, the following day.

I hope that all the hours of cutting are worth it in the end. Why do I do these things? I have no idea and I’m sure those aliens would have a question or two to ask about this strange human practise if they were looking down at me in my world. Oh well, it is all part of being an artist I suppose.