WATERCOLOR: "ABANDONED SLED"

Watercolor: ABANDONED SLED

I remember when my brother, sister, and I were kids, we had a sled like this.  We had more fun playing in the snow with it.  Today we see those plastic things the kids slide downhill on and it's not the same.  This sled is really full of nostalgia for many people, I'm sure.  I won First Prize with this watercolor painting at Hammondsport Art Festival in Hammondsport, NY...a beautiful tourist town at the end of Keuka Lake, surrounded by grape vineyards and also home of the Glenn Curtiss Museum, Aviation Pioneer.

WYCINANKA: "GROOM AND BRIDE" Finished!!!

This Wycinanka is the finished copy of the original two cuttings that appear below.  I started out with the black silhouettes and then added the colored paper to enhance all of the clothes, features, and flowers.  These were glued right over the original black silhouette shapes.  I used Origami paper which has many colors to choose from.  My scissors were short and very sharp with rubber handles to protect my hand.  I used Elmer's Glue.
 I framed it with a double mat of white and dark blue.
It measures 8 1/2" X 11" without the frame.
This wycinanka now resides in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

WYCINANKA Polish Paper Cut: "Groom and Bride"

Here are the Groom and Bride from the silhouette below.  I have cut paper of different colors to design the costumes of the couple.  It is not finished yet.  Everything is cut from paper, even the eyes and eyebrows. 

WYCINANKA Polish Paper Cut: GROOM AND BRIDE SILHOUETTE

PISANKI BY FELICIA

How to cut out a Wycinanka....Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

These photos show how I plan the cutting of a wycinanka and start to glue on the pieces of cut paper.  I draw it first with pencil and then start to cut out each piece.  If something is identical, such as the roosters, I cut out two at a time and glue them down symmetrically.  Then I continue with the flowers.

How to cut out a Wycinanka....Steps 7, 8, 9

WYCINANKA: "Gorgeous Roosters Conversing Under a Flower"

Roosters are very popular in Folk Culture and are supposed to represent fertility.  I just think that roosters are beautiful.  The colors in their wings and tail are totally amazing.  When we go to the County Fairs, we love to see the chickens and noisy roosters.  They always have their own personality.  My roosters are not realistic as such but are more stylized.  This is typical of the Polish Paper Cutting or Wycinanka.  It is a representational design of real roosters.

WYCINANKA: Aniela's Garden #1

This is Aniela's Garden in its first cutting.  I had made it in one color.  It's the same little Goddess in the Tree of Life but with some amazing flower-type shapes included.  Later, I felt that I would like to add some colors to this cutting because it represented my mother Aniela.  She was a fantastic person and artist.

WYCINANKA: Aniela's Garden #2

I had cut this Wycinanka in one color...a dark maroon.  After I had completed it, I decided to do another one in all kinds of colors with overlapping colored paper shapes.  This was named after my mother, Aniela.  She was a very beautiful lady who loved colors so I felt that this really shows off her love of flowers and happiness.  She always said "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

WYCINANKA: Little Girl in Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a popular theme for a lot of Wycinanki.  Usually there is a Goddess in the tree, along with the birds and other animals.  I decided to place a little Polish girl dressed in her costume and standing at the top of the tree.  You can also see the little Goddess at the bottom in the negative space.

WYCINANKA: Partridges, Deer, and Sheep in Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a common theme for making wycinanki in Poland and is also practiced in other countries in their art as well.  As you can see from the symmetry in this paper cut, I folded it three different times, to make the cuttings.  First, you see the center fold where the partridges, deer, and sheep are "nose-to-nose".  Then there is another fold that runs down the center of the large trees and branches.  The third fold is located down the middle of the small "Christmas tree" shapes.  It cannot be cut with just one center fold, because you would lose some of the symmetry.

WYCINANKA: Modern "Eagles Guarding the American Flag"

The subject for this paper cut was "Patriotism".  I wanted to show the American flag in my cutting and decided to make two identical Bald Eagles to fly in front of the flag.  The mountains were made with pastel chalk that was colored along the edge of ripped pieces of newsprint paper.  I then rubbed the pastel colors with tissues onto the background to create the mountain effect.  Everything else was cut out of colored paper.  I especially liked the idea of having the Eagles' wings spread out onto the matting.

WYCINANKA: Modern "Tree in Art"

I sketched a tree on white computer paper, drawing it from the roots up to the branches.  Then I placed three pieces of colored paper under it and stapled them together.  I cut all four trees out at the same time.  Then I started to arrange the trees side-by-side, above and below vertically, and then decided on a random placement.  I used rectangular and square pieces of many colors of paper, placing them behind the trees until I liked the look and feel of the scene.  Having glued everything in place, I can feel sky, grass, leaves, fields, and other scenery around the trees, exactly what I was thinking. 

WYCINANKA: "Lowicz Dancer"

The costumes worn by the people of the Lowicz region of Poland are amazingly beautiful.  You would see them worn by dancers for the most part these days.  On a trip to Poland, you might be lucky to see a Baptism or Wedding where some of the people would dress in costume.  At festivals, even the little children are dressed in these beautiful costumes.  They are so colorful and outstanding.  I once had the opportunity to wear the woman's outfit for a television show in Pennsylvania.  

WYCINANKA: Birds, Horses, and Tree of Life

I made this Wycinanka Polish Papercut to fit a card that I created for the 85th birthday of Mrs. Ruth Ziolkowski, President and CEO of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation and wife of the Polish-American sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, who dreamed of making a monument in South Dakota to honor Crazy Horse.  As he started the sculpture, he worked alone, using his own money and willpower.  His amazing vision is coming true every day, as now his wife and children continue his work on the mountain.  All four presidents' heads of Mt. Rushmore can fit into the head of Crazy Horse, the Native American hero.  They are now in the process of blasting and forming the arm and eventually the horse that Crazy Horse rides.

WYCINANKA: "Six Roosters in a Tree"

I had made this Wycinanka Polish Paper Cut in one color, the dark brown on light brown paper.  After I had made it, I decided to add colors to the roosters and tree by making colored paper feathers, flowers, and other details.  Many Wycinanki are made in only one color.  They were used to decorate the walls and rafters of the houses.  The earliest Wycinanki were made from sheep skins and cut with sheep sheers.  The most important use of these cuttings was to cover the windows with lace-like designs, letting the light come through the holes and making the room warmer in the winter and  cooler in the summer.

WYCINANKA: "FORSYTHIAS"

Real flowers are a great inspiration for making paper cuts.  I remember my mother taking flowers apart and using the petals for patterns to make her crepe paper creations.  In doing Wycinanki or Polish Paper Cutting, the flowers are very stylized rather than realistic.  It's like cutting a flower in slices and seeing it from the inside out.  You really feel as though you are looking through the flower.

MODERN PAPER CUT: PATRIOTIC QUILT DESIGN

I cut Red, White, and Blue paper into triangles to make this striking patriotic design.  I have used designs like this on my Pisanki Eggs and wanted to see how they would work with paper.  I am very pleased with the effect.  I have done very little quilting with cloth, so I thought working with paper would be so much easier. 

WYCINANKA: "RADICAL ROOSTERS"

I had more fun creating these roosters.  I wanted to make them sharp and wild-looking.  I folded the red paper and drew half of the design with pencil on the back.  I cut out all the spaces around the roosters and chicks as well as the tree and branches.  As I opened the cutting, I decided what colors would emphasize the feathers and flowers and cut them out (two pieces at a time).  I glued everything down with white paper glue that dries clear.  This papercut now resides in Shanghai, China. 

WYCINANKA: "GODDESS WITH BIRDS"

I am always impressed by the magnificent costumes that are worn by the dancers that come from Poland to perform here in the USA.  I once wore a Lowicz costume, when Jake and I were in the Tatra Folk Dance group.  It was made of wool and was heavily embroidered, along with the apron and white blouse.  I had fake braids and a wool scarf (babushka).  We had to dance for a Pennsylvania Polka Show, including dancing for the commercial over and over again.  It was so HOT!!!! but we had to look gorgeous for TV.  We were "brought back by popular demand", as we filmed about 4 shows the very same day.  This little lady is wearing the "gown of my dreams".  The headdress is a bit much, but I wanted her to look like a Goddess.  Aren't those birds amazing?  

WYCINANKA: "BIG FLOWERS IN A TINY VASE"

I love the big, gorgeous, and graceful feeling of these flowers in their tiny vase.  I started with green paper, folded, and drew half the stems and leaves with pencil.  After I cut them out, I glued them on the white heavy poster board.  Each flower had to be folded in half, cutting out two at a time....the background color first.  Then the smaller pieces were cut the same way and glued.  I use white paper glue that dries clear.  It's amazing to think that they cut these wycinanki in Poland using sheep shears!

WYCINANKA: "BLUE ROOSTERS IN A CIRCLE"

These are my beautiful blue roosters that I cut free hand by folding the paper in half and drawing half of my design on the back white side.  I used fadeless paper.  I cut out all the "holes" or negative space of the design and then unfolded it to see the blue cutout.  I used sharp pointed cuticle scissors...my favorite tool.  Then I planned all the colors for the feathers and flowers and had to cut them out by folding symmetrically or cutting out two at a time.  Overlapping the colored paper is a typical characteristic for the paper cuts from the Lowicz (Woh-veech) region of Poland. 

WYCINANKA: Lowicz Paper Cut Wedding Scene

This Wycinanka (Vih-chee-nahn-kah) is a wedding scene taking place in Lowicz, Poland.  A paper cut of this style is made with overlapping colors of paper.  You can see the bride and groom on the left, the orchestra serenading them, and the guests arriving by horse and carriage.  This piece of artwork (11" X 30") was in a traveling exhibit "Out of the Ordinary: Community Tastes and Values in Contemporary Folk Art (tour dates:  January 1995 - January 1998).  This tour brought together a significant cross section of active New York State folk artists and their works to be shown to educate the public about various folk art that may be centuries old but still is practiced today.  I place high value on keeping up the traditions of my family history, preserving them for the next generation, and educating people about the beautiful art of Poland.  Jake and I, along with our entire wedding party, were dressed in traditional Polish costumes.

WYCINANKA: "Lowicz Wedding Scene" Step-by-step

Using a sheet of scrap paper (12" X 32"), I did a drawing in pencil of the scene I wanted to create.  This would be a wedding with everyone wearing folk costumes, along with the decorations on the horse and wagon.  I wanted to tell a story with my wycinanka paper cut.  I cut all the large pieces first and then proceeded to add all kinds of cut paper embellishments to bring out the beauty of the paper cut scene.  I use cuticle scissors and regular paper glue.