The only things I ever attempted to cut from paper were a few snowflakes that left a lot to be desired. Not one to give up easily, I tried several more times but it became painfully obvious that I didn’t have the talent for papercutting.
Not being able to cut even the most rudimentary pattern makes me even more appreciative of someone who can; someone like Joe Bagley, whose paper cut art is incredible.
Joe has been creating papercuttings for about ten years but has only been making them consistently for three. Completely self taught, he began with a few simple patterns such as sharks and space ships. A few years later he found a book on papercutting and began photocopying and enlarging the designs from the book and cutting them.
Seven years after his first venture into papercutting, Joe saw some Native American Mimbres designs and thought they would make great papercuts. He began creating his own patterns and eventually figured out a way to combine drawing and digital manipulation to create his intricate designs.
According to Joe, papercutting is a skill that develops over time. One of his earliest large pieces took almost a year from start to finish. He actually stopped working on it for several months at a time because it was so complicated he was convinced he would either never finish it or ruin it with a tiny movement of his hand. One wrong move with his exacto blade and the work would have been destroyed. He did finish it though, after 100 hours of designing, cutting and mounting. That, my friends, is perseverance.
Once the cutting was complete, it took Joe weeks to build up the courage to glue the piece down because the gluing process makes it even more fragile and easier to stick to itself, which would mean disaster. The fear of ruining his beautifully cut pieces led Joe to develop a dry adhesive process that is both archival and extremely effective.
As time went on, Joe’s expertise grew (and his fears abated) allowing him to finish his most recent and largest piece, Cypress, which took less than 30 hours.
Joe is originally from Maine and his wife of 11 months, Jen, is from the Chicago area of Illinois. They met while attending Boston University but now live in Florida because Jen was accepted into a master program, at the University of South Florida, with a full scholarship.
The change in climate, not to mention scenery, has not been easy for Joe and Jen. They love the cold and it is hot and humid in Florida; the job market is less than robust, making it even more difficult to enjoy the good things Florida offers. Joe, apparently, is a “glass half full” kind of guy though, because he is trying to embrace the aspects of Florida he does like, such as the beautiful Cypress trees. In fact, he is thinking of doing a series of pieces called “My Florida” to explore the aspects of the state that he finds interesting and expose sides of the state that people don't usually see.
Almost as interesting as Joe’s paper cut art is the fact that both Joe and Jen are professional archaeologists. Jen is a historical archaeologist and Joe’s specialty is New England Prehistory. This summer they will excavate throughout the state of Florida, doing surveys in areas where construction projects may disturb significant historical and prehistoric remains. They will document and record the sites as part of a federal law that requires the taking into account of potential cultural resources before construction is allowed. Joe told me it is like checking for endangered species before construction except they will be looking for archaeological sites.
Joe has work on display in both the Tampa Art Emporium in Old Hyde Park Village ( in Tampa, Florida) and the Florida Craftsmen Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida. Joe’s art work is sometimes confused with prints or other types of art so he finds it much easier to sell when he can be present to explain his work.
Not surprisingly, Joe and Jen will return to the Northeast after Jen finishes her masters program, at which time Joe will pursue his graduate degree.
To see more of Joe’s outstanding cut paper art, and read the descriptions of the wonderful pieces in the photos above, visit his Etsy shop. He also has an online gallery, and a blog.
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That was a great feature.
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