The Amazing Miss M

This portrait is of Bette Middler and as I am a fan of hers, I looked forward to creating it. Bette and Liza Minelli are going to live on the "Diva Wall" of Jo Cochrane, whose portrait gave me my first art award.

Jo is a very talented singer, and I would highly recommend going to her Reverbnation site and listening to her singing the blues.

Here is a close-up of Bette's lovely curly hair. There as 8 layers in her hair and face.

I am finding that with adult faces I can use the black canvas as part of the shadows, building around that with the coloured cardstock.

I have been amazed at the colours and tones in a face - I just wish my camera could reflect them a little more accurately!

Liza Minelli

This was quite a simple cut, with only 6 layers on the face. I usually use a matte seal over the work to protect it from dust and dirty fingers, but black does not respond well and goes a touch flat- so I have found an excellent acrylic craft satin, which worked perfectly.

It is going to Jo for her Diva's Wall too.

Robbie Williams - up close and personal!

Robbie Williams up close and personal for my sister Alyson - a very late birthday present made with love. He's a bit wicked looking this one - I wouldn't recommend she put him in a dark corner.
I really enjoyed cutting this face. Lots of fine details and I love watching the face form as the layers build. Very often you can see who the person is after only a couple of layers.

This close-up shows the fine details around the eyes. I even cut lashes that were as thick as a needle. The overall picture measures 30xm x 30cm (12" x 12") so the lashes were real-life size. I almost didn't worry, but the eyes weren't finished without them. Glad I made the effort.

Aly won't see these portraits however, until after Cowra Show in early September. Sorry petal!

Robbie Williams #2

I have been busy with legal thingies for the last 6 weeks and haven't posted, but I have cut 4 portraits! I am a night person and find myself working away until 4 or 5 in the morning, for which I suffer the next day.

But the phone doesn't ring, everyone is asleep and my time is completely my own - so I cut and glue and play until my hands hurt - or until my husband gets up for work!

Anyway - my sister Alyson wants Robbie Williams to come and live with her. There is a good chance it won't happen so, she gets 2 paper Robbies.

It's not that I am hugely generous - I just love cutting these faces and I want to build up my portfolio.

The "Archies"

My local town holds its own version of Australia's Archibald Prize - the "Archies".

And I won it with my paper portrait of Josephine! How chuffed am I!

This is the lovely man who sponsors the prize - Robert E. Clark. In the background are some of the other entries.

Yellow Box Eucalyptus Tree

I am blessed to live on a beautiful part of Australia's farming land. I look out my office window and see kangaroos, kookaburras, rosellas, swallows, eagles and beautiful cloud formations.

This is a Paper Cut of a particularly magnificent old tree - a yellow box eucalyptus - that shelters both our farmed and native animals.

The cut piece measures 55cm x 36cm. Cut by hand over 2 long nights.

Melody

This portrait was done for my dear friend. It is her grand-daughter who was fatally injured in a car accident on Christmas Eve 2009, when her car rolled and her laptop hit her in the temple.

Please do not carry such loose items in your car - put the under the seat or in the boot.

The original photo had a very mauve cast, which I kept.

18 different coloured papers, 12 layers.

Each work takes the best part of 7 days. 2 - 3 planning the work, making the layers, choosing colours. Another part of a day gathering the papers and canvas. 1 - 2 cutting and another 1 - 2 applying the sealers. As I get more comfortable with the technique however and make sure to keep good records of each face, the time passes easily.

I did use a spray glue on one face, but it is too risky. The different papers absorb the glue at a different rate and have sometimes come partially adrift. I don't want that "fear", so back to the runny glues.