Paper Cuts
Paper Cuts was a project undertaken to extend my exploration of how to turn sheets of white paper into subjects of art, a journey begun with my Carta series. Nothing more was needed than paper, a pair of scissors and some simple lights and a world of new shapes and designs sprung to life.
Only after completing the project did I discover that this was a path at least a couple of other famous photographers had taken. Francis Bruguiére in the first half of the 20th century and Frederick Sommer in the second half had both made work that looks a lot like the images in Paper Cuts. Often as artists we find ourselves inspired by the work of others, sometimes to the point of outright copying. Picasso famously said “Good artists borrow, great artists steal”!
Paper Cuts is a somewhat rarer case of work that looks to be borrowed or stolen, but isn’t. I feel grateful to have stumbled into the company of photographic legends.