Xin Lu is an incredibly talented paper-cutting artist who has been working in the traditional Chinese medium of paper-cutting for over 15 years. As you’ll see, her results are absolutely breathtaking. . . and the process to create a single finished pieace is a true labor of love! Here’s how it works:
First, Xin carefully cuts her designs out of delicate rice paper, which further emphasizes the incredibly fragile lines and shapes in her art. When the design is fully cut, she applies watercolor or alcohol ink to dye the paper. As each droplet of color lands on the thin, transparent paper, it expands and flows, forming beautifully-blended hues across the entire design.
For the most part, controlling the colors is an exercise in futility, so Xin simply chooses the areas where she’ll place each droplet, and allows the colors themselves to move and change as they will.
She does, however, use repetition and similarity to add structure to unique artwork. Her recent series entitled 99 Butterflies, for example, is made up of multiple pairs of stunning butterflies (all in different shapes and colors) placed side-by-side with a “twin” that boasts different jewel-like hues.
Xin’s paper-cuttings are always fluid and dynamic, but the repeating lines and shapes in this particular series gives a sense of design and control that is both calming and delightful.
If you’d like to see more of Xin Lu’s paper-cuttings (and I hope you do!) please visit her website at lunastardesign.com.
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