Sharon Curtis

Paper-cut Art

My designs are drawn free-hand onto the paper, then each small shape is precisely cut by hand using a scalpel. The cut shapes are then carefully folded to create the three-dimensional picture that can be viewed from different angles for a different effect - the intensive nature of drawing and hand cutting and folding takes many hours and makes each piece of art totally unique. I do not use any kind of template, stencil, die, to draw or cutting the intricate shapes – each piece is therefore entirely unique as no two cuts are the same! As you might imagine, one wrong slip of the scalpel renders the piece ruined and consigned to the waste bin! It is a very painstaking, time-consuming process but one which really enthrals me.

Reduction Lino Art

Whilst studying at Art College, I developed a love of printmaking, especially reduction linocut. Reduction Lino Printing involves sequentially cutting away areas of the lino for each individual colour. Before I begin any carving I work out which bits of lino to remove looking at the positive and negative space, ink is then applied to the uncut surface and then printed onto the paper, this process is then repeated several times to apply 5 or 6 layers of ink all printed on top of each other. Any mistakes in the carving process (they happen!) cannot be rectified, and when they do, I have to start the whole process again.