Cut Paper and the Tenuous Nature of Human Existence

One of two artists now on display in Briscoe Library, local San Antonio artist Laura Schultz is well known for her work in cut paper. Viewers of her exhibit will be treated to many layers of meaning as they get closer to each piece. Ms. Schultz earned an MFA in fiber and mixed media from the John F. Kennedy University in 1993, and a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986.  She returned to her native San Antonio in 2001, where she maintains a studio and teaches art.

Watch for more news about her artist’s talk and paper-cutting class at the end of October during the library Student Appreciation Week.

Artist Statement

With my work in cut paper I try to evoke the tenuous nature of human existence. Using a small blade, I cut intricate images that are enormous, at times even architectural in scale. The works command attention because of their size, yet when they are combined with the fragile, ephemeral nature of paper as a material, a range of emotions occurs that I find deeply provocative: tension, joy, anxiety, melancholy. This contradiction of power and vulnerability manifests a terrible beauty for me: a size that can overwhelm or intimidate, in a material that emanates susceptibility and fragility.

I draw on memories, dreams, and bits of archaic literature for my imagery. At times, certain stories morph with my personal memories and dreams until it is impossible to see where one begins and the other ends. My intention is to capture an atmosphere of emotion, visually responding to narrative moments that offer a deep sense of human experience.

Artist Laura Schultz installing her work Alphabet of Death.
Article Categories: Exhibits, News from the Libraries