Visiting the Museum for Contemporary Craft here in Portland, OR we happened upon a retrospective of the paper artist Nikki McClure. I fell in love with her work instantly though I realized that I had actually been a fan for some time when I recognized some of her pieces.
She makes these stunning graphic images with just an X-acto knife and black paper. You may recognize her work from calendars, posters (Paul has a series of her work, which is what I recognized), CD covers, and books.
Her subjects are often quintessential moments of quotidian life – lying in a hammock, diving into a pool – but they are rendered with such detail and care as to make them exceptional and extraordinary.
If you ever get a chance to view her pieces in person you must! It’s an entirely different experience to view the works three-dimensionally since you can see each of her cuts and that’s when you truly begin to appreciate the beauty of her craft.