Papirklipper

 I signed up for a Zoom class through the Museum of Danish America

This is the class description:

Create wonderful paper-cut beings with Danish artist, Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen; via Zoom

Students should supply their own materials so they can cut along with Torben: • A sharp pair of scissors. • Paper that is approximately the same thickness as paper normally used in a printer, color(s) according to students' own wishes: • Approximately 5 pieces of paper that are approximately 4 x 4 inches. • Approximately 5 pieces of paper that are about 1 x 2 inches. Skill level: Beginner level and beyond Join celebrated Danish paper cutting artist Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen who has had several paper cut workshops in Denmark, Japan and in the US. The paper cut universe of Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen is inhabited with beings who have previously been confined inside the paper. At that time the beings were weighed down by their own and ambient limitations. “I can sense that the beings are in the paper, but at that time they are sad. They are unresolved and have something in their life that plagues them. After some help from the scissors, they are all cut free from the paper and travel around happily in our diverse world,” says Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen. In this online workshop the participants can experience the very best of cutting paper – namely the moment when the paper is unfolded and the magic occurs – that is when the happy paper cut being emerges. Participants will also be exploring the paper cut artwork of renowned storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, and hear about Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen’s own journey to becoming a paper cutting artist. Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen started out as a paper cut artist in 2004. Since then he has exhibited over 110 places in the U.S., Japan, and Denmark and has held numerous workshops in the same countries. He is 56 years old and lives in Odense in Denmark. Odense is where world-famous fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen was born. Andersen was also a very skilled paper cut artist several hundred years ago. Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen seeks with his paper cuts to maintain and renew this old paper cut tradition. See more about Torben Jarlstrøm Clausen: Twitter: @JarlstroemPaper Instagram: @JarlstroemPaperArt

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www.jarlstroem-klip.dk

We started with the head.  Torben said without the eyes and smile, there is no figure.  This is my very first attempt to understand the method.

This was the second.

Then we moved on to the body as well.

This one is my favorite, he was explaining how to embellish 

and cut away more paper to reveal a happy man.  

I love his bowtie.

Then I tried a quick snowflake kind of idea.

Here are some snapshots of the class as Torben was showing us some of his work.

This Danish Heart is on display at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark.  

It was the very first Danish Heart.  Hans Christian Andersen made the first.

Hans Christian Andersen was a paper cutter as well.

These designs are very complicated. 

My new birthday scissors are perfect for cutting these designs.  

Torbin said that all paper has figures in it, waiting for someone to cut them free.  He said that these figures are sad because they have paper in their eyes and ears and mouth.  The scissors cuts away the burden.  Once the paper is unfolded, the magic happens.

He does not worry if the legs are short or long or the nose is big.  He said that out in the world everyone is different, but as long as there is a smile on the face, who cares.

It was a delightful hour and a half and I can't wait to re-watch the recording.

What a fun and interesting day, meanwhile the football game is going nuts.  

I finished just in time to watch the overtime!