More hollow cutting

A couple of months ago I posted some hollow-cut silhouettes by an eighteenth century artist called Sarah Harrington.  A few people were kind enough to comment that they thought my work was better than hers, which I'm not sure is true, but was very gratifying to hear.  Hollow-cutting is an unusual technique whereby the artist cuts the silhouette inside-out from a piece of white paper.  This means that the paper one would normally consider the 'off-cut' is actually the finished artwork.  This is mounted over black to create the finished artwork.

Since then I've been experimenting with the technique at a number of recent events, and am happy to report they've been very well received.  So this time I'm sending you a couple of my own twenty-first century hollow-cuts.

To me, the interesting thing about the technique is that the portrait can be divided into several parts, as shown.  This allows me to treat white collars and ties, etc, with a much freer and casual look.  I've managed to work out a (top secret) method of presenting them using my standard backing cards, so I don't need to carry around a whole new set of kit.  I'm finding it's quite OK to make a few hollow cuts at almost any event.  So, for instance, I might approach a table of partygoers, introduce myself, cut a couple my usual silhouettes, then finish with a hollow-cut silhouette of a suitable 'somebody'.  I'm finding this approach makes the silhouettes into an interesting talking point and, as I say, they've been very well received so far.  As far as I know no other artist has used this technique on a regular basis for about 150 years.

An unmounted hollow-cut

Hollow cut silhouettes

Here is one of the new hollow cuts I was making at the showmans show

The Showmans Show

I thought you might like to know that we have a Roving Artist stand at the Showman's Show again this year. We are stand no 13 in the exhibition marquee. If you've never been to The Showman's Show, it takes place in Newbury Showground on 20th and 21st October. It's a fascinating event, which you can find out more about here:

www.showmans-directory.co.uk

We'll be demonstrating the full range of silhouettes, from full-lengths to caricatures and portraits, as well as my new hollow-cuts. I believe it really may be first time this latter technique has been demonstrated to the UK public for about 200 years! If you're in the area do pop by and say hello, as ever I'll be looking for new markets for a very old art indeed...

Sarah Harrington

Still on the historical theme, I recently came across the work of a talented silhouette artist called Sarah Harrington.

It seems Mrs Harrington was professional silhouettist who worked during the latter part of the eighteenth century. During her career she visited many parts of the country in the performance of her art, and cut silhouettes of many prominent people of the day, including King George II. What struck me in particular about about her work, apart from her obvious love of hats, is that they are all cut inside-out. What I mean by this is her profiles are all cut from the centre of white paper (now rather yellowed) while the black profile is formed by placing a black material, eg. silk, behind the cutting. As there are no entry lines in the profile she presumably began each silhouette by stabbing the paper with the points of her scissors. The proper name for this technique is "hollow-cutting".

Ever curious I've of course been experimenting with the technique myself. It's surprisingly difficult. I'm finding it awkward to turn my scissors freely, but enjoying the challenge of learning something new. Of course I've no idea yet if it will ever have a commercial application, unless I get booked by a modern day manufacturer of black silk perhaps. I wondered if perhaps you might have an idea or two about this?

Jane Austin

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be booked for the Jane Austen festival in Bath. This is one of those rare events that is obviously made for a silhouettist like myself, so I simply had to write and share some of the results...

Cutting this set of full lengths (and I cut nearly 50 of them on the day) I really felt as if I'd gone back in time and become a Regency era silhouettist myself. I've often studied silhouettes of this era, but it was a rare treat to be cutting them myself. I hope you agree they are really something special. There are very few artists who can cut a freehand full length silhouette these days, and the wonderful hats and bonnets made it all the more challenging for me.

Unusually, the client had decided to charge the visitors £15 each to have a silhouette. This did make me rather nervous at first. However once I got going there was a queue all day long, and the client actually raised rather more than my fee. With such a win-win situation do you think I can hope to do some more next year?

A wedding proposal

I was cutting caricatures at a student ball a couple of weeks ago when I received a strange request. A gentleman there was planning to propose to his girlfriend, and was looking for an original way to do it. Seeing me in action he hit upon the idea of asking to silhouette them both while he did so. Here is the result.

She did say 'Yes' of course. I hope they book me for the wedding :-)

The Garrick Club

I was very surprised on arriving at a recent 60th birthday party at The Garrick Club to see a flag outside with one of my own silhouettes on it. I quite felt I'd arrived! The Garrick Club, with it's interesting collection of portraits, is a great place for an artist to work at any time, but on that day my artwork was the most prominent. The silhouette had been cut by me nearly 10 years before at a corporate event (and was the reason I'd been booked of course). The same silhouette also featured on all the guest invitations, the place cards, the menu, etc. Do you think perhaps I ought to have asked extra for copyright?

New silhouette blurb

This is the text on the back of all my silhouettes:

Hand-cut silhouettes possess a unique charm all of their own, often seeming to capture the essence of a person in amazing detail with the minimum of effort. Such shadow portraits, or shades, were hugely popular throughout England during Georgian and Regency times. A portrait silhouette should always be cut freehand, using only the eye as a guide.

The name “silhouette” comes from Etienne de Silhouette (1709-67), the infamous Controller-General of France, who would amuse himself at drawing-room gatherings by cutting profiles from paper. In an effort to prop up the ailing banking system of the day he imposed a rigorous regime of tax rises and spending cuts. A popular joke of the day had it that the only portraits anybody could afford were cheap paper cut-outs made "a la Silhouette". It was meant as a derogatory term.

The craze for silhouettes died out in Victorian times with the arrival of photography; shades were suddenly old hat! Yet a few talented artists did continue the tradition throughout the twentieth century, and this little known English craft now seems poised to make a come-back.