Patience and Paper Cuts

Since I made my first paper snowflake as a child, I have been fascinated with what more accomplished paper cutting artists could create. Recently I read an article titled “14 Best Kirie Japanese Paper-Cutting Artists You Should Know,” and was especially impressed and intrigued by two of them.

The paper cutting art known as kirigami or kirie in Japan is practiced on scales both large and small. Masayo Fukuda, seen above holding her masterpiece known simply as Octopus, works on the smaller end of the scale. Yes, the creature really is made from a single piece of paper with thousands of tiny cuts. You can see her at work on it in this YouTube video. Using scalpels and other fine art blades, Ms. Fukuda has been refining her art for decades. The octopus, which she said she drew over and over again, took about two months from the rough sketch to completion, according to a post in an undated Free the Ocean blog. Long fascinated “with marine life, birds, and other creatures,” her aim is to make the viewer “feel the beauty and power of animals that do not have words.”

Also highlighted in the article noted above was Nahoko Kojima who has built her global reputation on her “reinterpretation of traditionally flat mounted paper cut art as large-scale, sculpture-like paper cut creations” that are often suspended in mid-air. Gravity gives them 3-dimensions, and in the case of the “life-sized blue whale” (32 meters or 100+ feet) pictured at right, unseen wires help shape it. You can see many more photos of her astonishing creations (including this one from her Bangkok exhibit in 2019), plus videos of her work on her website: https://www.nahokokojima.com .

This post is an edited excerpt from yesterday’s e-newsletter, Wait Lifters – uplifting content for every kind of downtime.? If you enjoyed it, please share it.

Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the creator of Wiser Now, Inc., dedicated to fostering wellbeing in people of all ages through training and publications. Known for her practical and lighthearted approach, she is a prolific content provider to multiple clients.? Her website, CreatingDelight.com, is especially focused on creating fun and goodwill and her newly revamped? Caregiving website is focused on both givers and receivers. Reach her at [email protected].?