Questions from Karla Nixon, Fine Art Student, Durban University of Technology, South Africa

1) In interviews you have had, the question ‘why paper?’ often comes up, you mention its humbleness, the familiarity everyone has with it, as well as the personal and cultural significance you have with rice paper. My question is, why is paper the most suitable medium to convey your concepts of power, sacrifice and survival? Do you think you could use any other medium as effectively?

The fragility of cut paper creates the strongest contrast and paradox against the concepts that are dense and complex. I don’t think there is a better material/medium that can be as effective.

2) I have found, through my experiences, that the technique and medium can easily overpower the conceptual underpinning. Are there certain devices that you employ to either overcome or utilize the seductive quality of the paper-cutting?

Cut paper historically links to craft and reeducation is important to unlink what’s expected and understood of the medium. It is my goals to re-inform and challenge people what cut paper could be capable of conceptually and ask them to look beyond just the material and techniques. To achieve that, it is very important that my work is idea-driven. The idea comes first and foremost. I tend to construct highly complex narratives and they justify (even require) the intricacy and labor-intensive process that follows. I don’t necessarily want or try to overcome the seductive quality of cut paper. I want viewers’ attention so when they look closer, deeper, and longer, they realize there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

3) Other then tackling contemporary issues in your work, what makes you a contemporary paper-cutter? If you didn’t mention it in the above question, what, if any, postmodern strategies/devices do you employ in your work? (please refer to specific works if you feel applicable)

I utilize the computer in my work to compose images for the cut paper and my work has a level of digital aesthetics. Using a highly sophisticated machine to prepare for what is created entirely by hand is interesting and quite refreshing if you consider how most things are made since Industrial Revolution.

In forming the image, the method I use takes images at their face value to generate new meanings and concepts within the work, eradicating the inherit burden of time, space, geography, culture, and context. There is plenty of high and low culture conflation in my work and essentially the images are complex and fused collages of fragments. As a result, my work is often an irony and parody, with or without playfulness and humor.

In “Tsunami-Oblivious” for example, the waves are referenced from Houkusai’s famous woodblock print, the girl on the couch is a recent photo taken in a Malaysian village, I placed a photo of myself taken in my studio as one of the characters floating in currents, the oil rigs are from different countries around the world, the plane is the US Airways flight that landed safely on the Hudson river, and virtually all the other images are existing and from different sources.

Bovey Lee, “Tsunami–Oblivious”, 2009

4) What is your favorite work you’ve made to date? Why? Please include the concept behind the work.

I very seldom think about what work is my favorite. A work is an open door to the next work and to the next, and so on and so forth. However, there are several pieces such as “Hanging Gown”, “Atomic Jellyfish”, and “St. Sebastian Fantasy” that I consider to be significant in setting the tones and directions for other works.

Bovey Lee, “Hanging Gown”, 2006

Bovey Lee, “Atomic Jellyfish”, 2007

Bovey Lee, “St. Sebastian Fantasy (front)”, 2006

5) If you have time, please tell me about your work “Baking McMansion”.

“Baking McMansion” is a piece about what we broadly define as “a good life” today – a family of working parents and beautiful children living in and expanding an extravagant, mansion-like dwelling with luxurious vehicles, domestic helpers, manicured landscaping, and etc.. I compare this life building and expectation to baking a huge, fancy cake on the pedestal.

Bovey Lee, “Baking McMansion”, 2011

ARTINFO.com Interview

This Artinfo.com interview just went live. Editor Belle Zhao asked 14 questions about my cut paper work and practice. Hope you enjoy reading it.

“The Cutter – 14 Questions for Paper Artist Bovey Lee”

In-depth Interview with World of Threads, Toronto, Canada

It took me on and off several months to answer all the questions sent by the editors at the World of Threads in this in-depth interview. It is, however, refreshing to have online coverage that is not mere picture/photo essays without any editorial or text but asks interesting and thorough questions. Below is the link to the full interview:

http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/067_bovey_lee_12.html

Questions from Kristin Reiber Harris, Artist and Educator, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, USA

1.  It appears you are using a paper template to cut through with the rice paper underneath the template.  Is that correct?  Are these computer generated? Some of the geometric patterns looked like they were.

Yes and yes. I create digital templates and use them as visual and positioning guide when I cut. However, it is not straight forward tracing because the template images are mostly photographic. When I cut, I translate these photographs (continuous shades) into cutout patterns (solid and void) and a lot of times I leave areas blank to make the studio time interesting and spontaneous. But it does lengthen the time to produce and complete a piece.

2.  Have you found a self healing pad that is large enough for some of your large pieces…or is there some other surface that you cut on for your large work?

My cutting mat is 35×47 inches. If I make a larger work, I can use more mats but it is inconvenient. Sometimes I do wish that they make custom size self-healing pad so it completely covers my work table. 

3.  I am confused about the silk.  I am getting the impression that the paper is glued to the silk to make it stronger?  Am I confused about that? I see silk referenced in your materials but not exactly how it is being used.

You are correct. The silk is mounted on the back of the rice paper to add strength to the work. I do this mainly for people who handle my work. It’s a traditional Chinese wet mounting technique when the paper and silk are glued together by hand. It requires a mounting master to do a good job. I have the paper made this way in Hong Kong.

4.  How are the cut paper pieces stiff enough to hang?  Like the geometric pieces that are behind you in the video.

Occasionally, I need someone to help holding a piece in place if it’s large. But usually I am able to pin them up myself. 

Basic Chinese Paper Cutting Patterns

What are the basic cutting patterns in Chinese paper cutting?

They are extremely simplified and stylized forms depicting things in nature. Below are some examples taken from my paper cutouts.

1. Sun

2. Moon

3. Water Drop

4. Cloud

5. Leaf

6. Thorn

On Making Mistakes

This post originates from a reply to Wanni’s question on what if I make a mistake in a cutout.

There are several things I do. If I make a mistake in the beginning of the cutout, I start over. That said, I had started over after nearly finishing a piece and that was quite painful. Sometimes, I can work around the mistake and make it look right. The irreversible ones are those that I cut away too much paper.

Other times, I make mistakes because the tools are not functioning like they should. For example, a sharp blade is not only safer but also produces a clean cut line. So don’t save on keeping a tired blade. The self-healing cutting mat can also cause problem if it has hardened in spots I am not aware of. The hardened spots cause the blade to slide too fast.

Given we are human beings, I accept that mistakes happen and don’t stress over it too much. The best strategy is to prevent it from happening to begin with. Careful planning is time-consuming but it really helps. And I also work in silence to ensure total concentration. I find it very effective because most of the times when a mistake occurs, it is due to a distraction.

“Hanging Gown” is the one that I had to cut over. The mistake was made at the end on the far lower left side of the chain link fence when I cut away too much paper in one of the large diamond shapes. I started cutting the piece from the far right.

 

Hanging Gown, rice paper cutout, 7x14", 2006

So after having to re-cut “Hanging Gown”, I made a cutout titled “Intentional Mistake” to comfort myself. In it, I rotated a line in the “wrong” direction on purpose. Can you find it?

 

Intentional Mistake, rice paper cutout, 7x14", 2006

Questions from Sophie Harrison, Graphics Arts Student, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

1. Your work exemplifies craft and it seems that in the last couple of years there has  been a tendency for designers and artists to want to return to craft techniques. Why do you think this is?

That is a great question. I think nostalgia may play a part because we are experiencing a great deal of difficulties in our society, politics, and economy. It seems natural to desire something simple, honest, and real. The DIY movement is also influential that encourages us to make things with our hands. While I can’t speak for other designers and artists, my return to hand made work after a decade of digital art practice is because I truly miss the physical process and love the materials and medium I work with.

2. Where do you think your work is best suited for? Galleries, exhibition spaces, photographed, illustrated books, etc…why?

There is no close replacement for the experience of seeing actual, original artworks. Reproduction is necessary for purposes like documentation and distribution. At the end, I hope to reach and connect with others with the quality and impact of my original paper cutouts. So wherever one can come face to face with my works like in my studio, galleries, museums, and other venues is the place best suited for my works.

3. Something physical such as paper cut could be said to be far less versatile than a simple vector illustration. Is this a good/bad thing? Why?

That is an interesting statement I don’t know if I agree with and it depends on what you mean by versatility. In terms of mass distribution and convenient editing, vector graphics may suit this need. And vector graphics do have a unique aesthetics and appeal. As a digital artist and taught Illustrator for many years, creating good vector graphics is no less easier.

But personally, I am 10 out of 10 times more moved when seeing a paper cutout made by hand than a vector illustration. So in terms of spiritual and artistic versatility, there’s a sense of intimacy, romanticism, and humanity that paper cutouts exude. When I make or look at paper cutouts, I think about its long history, its diversity, its many anonymous artists, and its sheer beauty.

Hand cutting 30 ft. of "Black Water"

 

Questions from Charles Clary, Artist, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Question 1. What is it about paper that drew you to the material as a medium instead of a matrix?

Chinese invented paper so culturally there is a sense of intimacy, significance, and legitimacy for me to work with it. Specifically, the Chinese rice paper that I use to make paper cutouts with was the first art material I knew as a young girl practicing calligraphy and landscape painting. I love the many great qualities in rice paper: soft, tissue-thin, subtly textured, absorbent, natural, acid-free, long lasting, and sustainable. Paper, to me, is never a mundane or utilitarian material for printing information.

Question 2. With the advancement of technology, it has become easier to achieve delicate detail cuttings using laser cutters and other mechanical means. Do you employ any technological tools or do you do all your cuttings by hand? Why or why not?

When I began making paper cutouts in 2005, I decided that digital tools should be an integral component in my creative process because of my education and interest in digital media. I want my work to involve both technology and handcraftsmanship. But I only use the computer to make templates – a visual and positioning guide – for the cutouts. To me, the laborious, hand cut process is the best part. There is something very honest and dignified to create with your hands and to push the limits of your mind and body. To replace it with mechanical tools, it would mean to miss the innate desire to connect myself with humanity.

Question 3. How did your process develop in regards to using paper as your primary media and the creation of your work?

I am very inquisitive and have vast interests and training in many art forms. Before paper cutting, I worked with Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting, drawing and painting, and various digital media. My initial attraction to using paper as a primary medium is because of the intimacy I just mentioned. To sustain my career as an artist for the long haul, I chose to work with paper for it does not necessarily require expensive equipment and facilities.

As far as how I began cutting paper, it dated back to 2004 when I returned to Hong Kong and my father gave me his small collection of paper cuttings. I knew about Chinese paper cutting all my life but at that time I immediately wondered if I was capable of making something as intricate and beautiful. When creating the first paper cutout, I realized that it really suits my personality, strengths, and sense of aesthetics. And the potential and possibilities to contemporize it are endless. Most importantly, in paper cutting I can integrate nearly all my skills in other art forms. And from each art form, I can also incorporate the most effective and enjoyable aspects into my creative process. I am continually amazed by how inclusive and forward thinking paper cutting can be.

Like many artists, I start with drawing, an activity I love and find most immediate and efficient in capturing ideas. Then I create templates on the computer, making photographic/vector composites that afford my highly elaborate and layered narratives. I print out the digital templates and use them as visual and positioning guides for the final paper cutouts. The last process is to spend the incalculable, laborious hours to hand cut each image. With so much preparation up to the hand cutting, I allow myself to be spontaneous and often cut on the fly and improvise. It makes my studio time challenging and exciting. This three-fold process is a total workout of the spiritual mind, logical brain, and physical body.

Question 4. Being a paper artist myself, I find that the long laborious process to create my work, is somewhat meditative and self-gratifying, as far as the end product is concerned.  Do you feel the same in regards to your personal process? Why or why not?

I feel the spirituality in the hand cutting process. I am not good at meditation but perhaps reaching the creative zone of total concentration is similar to a successful meditative state when one is just “being.” The moment when nothing matters more than making the line I am cutting works. I absolutely am in love with the sensation when the razor sharp X-acto knife blade slices the paper open and seeing the beautiful, clean line that it produces. The hand cut process, too, is very gratifying because it is honest, simple, instinctive, and I am the only person responsible for it. I feel completely human and humbled after a long day of cutting, when I come face to face with the mental exhaustion and bodily aches and pain.

Question 5. What are your thoughts on the current state of paper art and how do you think it will advance in the coming years?

Works on paper have been around for a long time but gained a great deal of popularity in the mainstream art world in recent years. Cut paper being a part of it means the artists are getting more attention and exposure.

The current state of cut paper art is blossoming, individualized, and progressive. There has been a great deal and increasing interest in the medium in the art world and on the Internet. I am not surprised because cut paper art is cross-disciplined, multicultural, rich in content, and highly diverse in representations.

It’s difficult to predict how cut paper art will advance. But because of the critical and commercial success of several cut paper artists, more young artists will likely consider to take on cut paper art while they are in school. So I think these artists and art schools will help advancing cut paper art in the near future, solidifying its place in the mainstream art world.

But the million dollar question is whether paper art will have lasting power. Many years ago people already began to say one day there would be no need for paper and the paperless direction is where we are heading. It will be really interesting to see the destiny of (cut) paper art when paper is no longer an intimate, familiar material.

Questions from Lauren Parkin, Fine Art Student, Newcastle University, United Kingdom

Dear Bovey,

I just want to say how much I LOVE your work, you must get this all the time but I really do admire it. My name is Lauren and I’m a Fine Art student studying at Newcastle University in England. I am currently paper cutting myself and know how long each one takes to do! I wanted to ask, my blades keep breaking at the tip and I was wondering if I was doing something wrong when cutting? Also I am struggling to find the right paper thickness to get the best cuts, some paper is too thin and rips and card is way too thick, and generally painful to cut!! Do you have any tips you can share?

Thank you very much,

Lauren

Lauren,

Thanks for your questions.

Do you use a self-healing cutting mat when you cut? The blades I use get dull but never break. I am thinking maybe you don’t have something soft to allow the blade to sink into. In China, I saw paper cutting artists used beeswax blocks instead of cutting mats. But the function is the same.

Finding the right paper is not easy. My experience is that a paper’s density makes it more or less prone to ripping, not necessarily its thinness or thickness. I would try to find a paper that is thin but dense. Rice paper is just that, although it can still rip if the paper is tissue thin and your design is intricate. Rice paper is made from mulberry tree barks. The long fibers of the tree barks make the paper less likely to tear. If you can get mulberry (or kozo in Japanese) paper where you live, try it and see if that works better. If you don’t have to use paper, I know artists who use Tyvek and really love it.

Questions from Whitney Tembelis, Student, Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Whitney Tembelis wrote:

I am a student at Milwaukee’s Institute of Art and Design and I am writing a paper on the art of cut paper. I have been a fan of your work for a while and am wondering if you could tell me any personal history, thoughts on the media, or any knowledge of the art’s history.

I wrote:

I came across Chinese paper cutting long time ago and knew that it was a kind of folk art. But I didn’t start making my own until 2005. In college, we learned to practice “scholarly” art like Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting. Folk art was not part of the academic curriculum.

My father is an art lover and amateur artist. An interior designer by training, he likes all kinds of art. When I went back to Hong Kong in 2005, he gave me his small paper cutting collection. I immediately wanted to know whether I had the chops to make them because they looked so intricate and difficult to create.

And the rest is history.

My thoughts on Chinese paper cutting at the time was that it had a great sense of innocence, reflecting farm lives with playfulness and motifs of nature, children, and folklore. Our lives are so different now that the innocence is lost. To me, staying true to the spirit of paper cutting is most important and that means to reflect the life, psyche, and culture of our time.

The slide show below is a traditional paper cutting that inspired me to create “Childhood Torture–Covering Mouth” in 2006.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I have done a lot of research on the history and contemporary development of Chinese and Swiss paper cuttings. I went to both countries to visit galleries, museums, and artists to see what was done and what’s being created today.

Chinese paper cutting has been around for thousands of years but it couldn’t be earlier than the invention of paper. China invented paper during the Han dynasty, around 206 B.C.-A.D. 220.

Many paper cuttings were hand cut by village women in their homes. Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters gathered after a day of household chores to create cuttings to pass time, earn extra income, or use as decorations for special occasions. Paper cuttings were not supposed to last. People glued them directly on window panes and walls.

The women used sewing scissors that were not very small. But I have seen some very experienced cutting artists who made fairly intricate pieces with the sewing scissors.

Traditional Chinese paper cuttings have many different styles, largely based on regions where they are/were made. Often, the paper cuttings were created using red paper because the color red is considered very auspicious in Chinese culture. Over time, many more colors are used and some of those in my collection are hand painted with an array of vivid colors. There’s also a technique to glue the paper cutting on top of gold foil or other painted papers.

In addition to being an art form in its own right, paper cutting was also used to make pattern/design templates for embroidery, lanterns, and textiles.