Scherenschnitte (pronounced shair-en-shnit-teh) was a popular folk art in the 1800s in Germany. The name means 'scissor-cutting'. Originally, the intricate designs were cut by shepards with sheep shears, to pass the time out in the fields with their flocks. Virtually every culture since the invention of paper has come up with some form of decorative paper cutting in their history.

Traditionally, Scherenschnitte is done with black paper mounted onto a white background, or vice versa. In my paper cuttings, I make use of the contrast of a solid (often black) cut out against a vibrantly colorful background. This gives my pieces a very different range of emotion from the traditional pieces.

This cutting is mounted on a 5"x7" piece of water color paper. The block of painted color measures 4"x6" and is painted with water colors. The white details are added with calligraphy inks and a dip pen.