Intricate Paper-Cut Illustrations By Maude White

New York-based artist Maude White creates snowflake-like paper-cut works filled with intricate details.

White says that her intimate knowledge of her medium enables her to make such minuscule incisions. “When I cut paper, I feel as if I am peeling back the outer, superficial layer of our vision to reveal the secret space beneath,” she writes in her artist statement.

Her works evoke line drawings with their many small markings. Many of them feature nature imagery that recalls folk art forms and storybook illustrations, though the narratives behind each of her works are not so obvious.

According to an artist: “I have great respect for paper. When I cut, the thin membranous material reveals its strength to me. No matter how small my cuts the paper holds. There is a certain comfort in that, a comfort I enjoy. I feel that there are very few things in the world as reliable and constant as paper.”

“Paper is everywhere and it has been telling stories for centuries. By respecting and honoring paper for what it is, and not considering it a stepping-stone to something greater, I feel like I am communicating some of the pleasure it brings to me. I am not creating for Art’s sake. I am creating for Paper’s sake, to make visible the stories that every piece of paper attempts to communicate to us.”