Ella Richards

I call my art scissors drawings because there are 2 skills necessary for my art, drawing and cutting. My tools are simple, I use a micro scissors, and a fine tipped glue pen, thin black art paper, and watercolor paper. What is a Scissors Drawing? What is a drawing really, or for that matter a painting? Why couldn’t I draw with paper? Over the years my style of cutting has developed from solid outlines resembling traditional silhouettes into thin lines which resemble brush strokes. As my proficiency with a scissors increased and my lines grew ever thinner, I began to realize that my art could resemble a black and white drawing or painting. Artistically, I would like to use my scissors drawings to further push the boundaries of traditional drawing and painting in order to explore themes which I think are important. Why is my art Black and White? I have been doing watercolors for as long as I can remember and I have always enjoyed exploring the line or movement and the emotion of a subject. One day I realized that if I render my watercolors in black and white it isolated the line and the emotion of a drawing. Now I could really focus on the subjects I wanted to explore. My subjects have always been the simple moments, the activities of a lazy day or the diverse humanity on display on the crowded streets of Greenwich Village. Inspiration comes from my friends, my family, people I meet at art shows, and I also draw from my memories of my childhood. Some of the most rewarding moments for me as an artist come when someone says my art has rekindled a forgotten memory.