A New Favourite Word: "Scherenschnitte"

"Pride & Prejudice: 200th Anniversary"

(My Ode to Scherenschitte, ink, approx. 8x10")

    Who knew a word like Scherenschnitte could be so inspiring?! Well, actually how could a word like Scherenschnitte be anything but inspiring?  This fun-sounding German word, Scherenschnitte (pronounced: 'sharon-sh-nit-ah'), simply means 'scissor cuts' and it represents the intricate art form that I've only just discovered. Scherenschnitte. C'mon say it out loud - it's fun!!

    As I worked these last few weeks on other illustrations my mind kept fixating on what I thought was a Scandinavian art style... I kept thinking of red paper cut to reveal an intricate silhouette...yet I could not find anything on the internet. It wasn't until just this week that I described the style to my friend Lisa (check out her amazing blog/website here - God has blessed her with great talent!) and she said, "Oh, you mean Scherenschnitte, the German paper art."  What??  It just so happened that Lisa had just purchased two framed pieces of Scherenscnitte on a recent trip with her husband.

    I'm still amazed at how things work out like that!  

    I quickly scrawled down that strange name on a piece of paper and ran home to look it up on the internet - having the proper name and country of origin really helps, let me tell ya! - a few moments later - Bing! Bang! Pow! - hundreds of images popped up displaying intricate silhouettes, each piece telling it's own beautiful story!  

    I love the inspiration that comes from discovering a new-to-me art form! This one in particular has been around since the 16th century!! Wow! I looked over several pages of Scherenschnitte pieces and the idea I had when I first thought of this style grew clearer and I left the computer and snatched up my sketchbook to set to work on my own version of Scherenschnitte.

    I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create a piece to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of one of my favourite books: Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice (published, January 28, 1813).  I filled my sketchbook page with ideas and then built a final design in the Scherenschnitte-style using my fine ink pens!

    I hope one day to re-create this properly - I may have to ask for a nice paper cutting scissors for my birthday! - but for now I'm happy with how this design turned out! 

    Inspiration is so energizing!  LOVE!!

    ♥ Cath-