What is a silhouettist anyway?
NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS what a silhouettist is. When I describe what I do,I’m often met with a blank stare. “You mean, you cut up bits of paper for a living?”
Silhouette Collage: a set of artist prints
SILHOUETTES are all about memories. Of all the things I do as a silhouettist, one of my favourites is to create a print of all the silhouettes cut at a wedding.
Booking a Snippet of Silhouettists
FOR LARGER events you might want to book more than one silhouettist. Whilst silhouettists are a vanishingly rare breed, I can call on the small network of fellow artists I call a “snippet”.
Silhouette backing cards for weddings
SILHOUETTE CARDS can be branded with a corporate logo and a short message. Or, for weddings, we can add your own names and silhouettes to the cards. You can choose from three kinds of cards: standard, branded and bespoke cards.
Sending thank you cards with your own silhouettes
SENDING A THANK YOU to all who attended your wedding is a lovely tradition. How about sending your own silhouettes, created on the day, to everybody as a memento of your special day?
Are silhouettes the perfect socially-distant art?
AS LOCKDOWN comes to an end it may soon be possible to host events again. Some clients are asking how I can maintain social distancing whilst cutting a silhouette. I’ll answer this with a short story.
Lockdown Paper Cuttings: a new open studio exhibition
WITH LOCKDOWN measures about to ease I’m pleased to announce Lockdown Paper Cuttings, my upcoming open studio exhibition.
April Fielding, the Crystal Palace Silhouettistte
THE ENGLISH SILHOUETTISTTE April Fielding (her description, not mine) has been hard to bring out of the shadows. Until this month, I didn’t even know her name! I only recognised a series of well-cut postcard silhouettes, made in the 1900s, embellished with graphite and initialled “AF”.
A Silhouettist’s Idea of an April Fool?
AN APRIL FOOL INVITATION for event organisers to experience a ten-minute sitting in my virtual silhouette studio.
Otho Barden: the Rock City Artist
OTHO BARDEN was an American artist who cut silhouettes during the summer season at the popular tourist attraction of Rock City at the top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He seems to have worked there for many years, probably from the opening of Rock City in 1932 until the mid 1950s.
Audax: the long-distance silhouettist?
WHEN GOOGLING “Audax” all you’ll find is information about long-distance cycle racing. However, Audax was also a silhouettist with a career spanning over 40 years. This is why I refer to him as the long-distance silhouettist!
Mrs Ames, the mysterious Georgian silhouettist
WHO ON EARTH was Mrs Ames? It’s a good question. Considering that only one pair of silhouettes painted by her has ever been identified, researchers have written a surprising amount about this artist (or artists).
Cut during lockdown: silhouette cutting as a Christmas gift experience
HAVE YOU ALREADY MADE PLANS for Christmas? Or are you, like me, completely stuck? I’ve been thinking about silhouette cutting as an online ‘gift experience’ and holding onto the idea that silhouettes still make interesting and personal mementos of the unique times we’re all living through.
Baj B: the Lido Beach Silhouettist
BAJ B. IS ONE of my favourite silhouettists. I’ve learned a lot from looking at the best of their silhouettes (I’ve no idea whether Baj was male or female, so will use the non-gendered third person). At their best there are silhouettes I would struggle emulate.
Is silhouette cutting safe?
IF YOU’RE ON my newsletter list I have a small favour to ask. I’m currently planning a newsletter on “the socially-distant silhouettist”. It’s an important subject; many artists and entertainers are thinking how to provide their services in both a safe and entertaining manner. For me, this is crucial in rebuilding a battered career!
Silhouettes at Online Conferences
OVER THE FIRST FEW WEEKS of lockdown I did a series of online experiments. I began simply by inviting friends to an evening of online silhouette cutting.
William Allport, Liverpudlian silhouettist
IT’S ONLY BY an accident of history that anybody knows anything about the silhouettist William Allport at all. He was a workman-like artist…
