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: 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: 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: 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: 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: "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: Roosters, Flowers, & Feathers
