Firstborn is the first in a series of three. A figure of a young woman with the head and neck of a daffodil is nestled in a stained glass window. This image is all cut from a single black 12" x 12" paper. The black and white work is accented with a small amount of color emphasized from the flower.
This image is inspired by my interest in kirie, the Japanese art of papercutting; specifically in hand-cutting a detailed image out of a single unbroken sheet of paper. The image, when paired with it's two counterparts completes a set of three sisters. Inspired by my relationship with my own sisters, this image can stand alone or complete a trio. Each flower represents the birth month of the sister it is based on, while the stained glass background indicates something of the personality of the figure. I wanted to depict how I see this sisterhood. Similar but different. Strong and unique when alone, but even stronger when together again. The process of this piece was very important to the final product. My process is slow, detailed, and meditative. I focused on creating an image that may look machine cut from far away, but when the viewer steps closer, the process is revealed.
