San Francisco-based artist Kanako Abe creates hand-cut, intricate paper art, that at first glance look like pen drawings. She started working with paper in 2012 when learning the Japanese art of Ise-katagami—a traditional stencil technique used for complex designs on Kimono fabric. Abe uses the same Japanese Ise-katagami cutting tools but on black paper, in addition to an X-Acto knife, a cutting mat, and—most importantly—incredible patience. The resulting hand-cut creations depict woodland spirit animals and mystical forests that explore “everyday moments and thoughts.”
Abe’s growing portfolio of animal cut-outs includes a reassuring moth that reminds you to “have faith in yourself, and you will see the light,” and a supernatural fox with “a connection to a magical realm.” Abe documents each piece on Instagram, sometimes showing how her artwork casts a beautiful shadow when held against a light surface. Depending on the design’s intricacy, Abe’s smaller pieces can take up to 15 hours to complete. “I find curvy lines take more time than geometric patterns with straight lines,” she explains.
If you’re in San Francisco, you can visit Abe’s first solo show—Meet Me in the Woods—at Little Lodge gallery. It’s open until December 2, 2017, on Saturday and Sundays from 12-6pm. Keep up to date on Abe’s work on Instagram, where she also shares her works in progress.
Paper artist Kanako Abe creates incredibly detailed hand-cut artworks that depict spirit animals and mystical woodlands.
Each piece is so detailed, that at first glance they look like pen drawings.
Kanako Abe: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Brown Paper Bag]
All images via Kanako Abe.
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