Between layoffs, inflations, health issues, and pandemics, the last few years haven’t brought all the travels I hoped for. However, the time spent at home certainly didn’t lack new experiences and opportunities to learn. Best of all, I’m starting to plan new trips again!
In 2020, I started focusing more on photography than writing. The shift from written to visual stories rekindled my interest in other forms of visual art, and once the pandemic restrictions were over, I started on a new career path.
Though I haven’t completely put writing aside, I keep exploring new ways to showcase my love for travel and nature: I’ve never gone out with the sole purpose of taking pictures as much as I did in 2020 and 2021 when living in British Columbia. I spent the summer of 2021 in Mexico, learning to create cyanotypes using the sun and some botanicals as my allies. And now, in Toronto, I’ve found a new way to express my inner world through papercutting and collage, selling my artwork online, in markets and galleries around the city.
Why am I telling you all this?
Apart from self-promotion, all this art talk relates to my travels. I want to keep sharing my experiences from around the world, and as I set for new adventures, I’m also setting up new ways to tell those stories. My preferred method to do so right now is papercutting.
Papercutting
Just as the name indicates, papercutting is creating artwork from paper. It dates back to the 4th century AD in China, but many cultures worldwide have developed different techniques and styles. You can read more about it here.
I’ve taken a keen interest in visiting paper stores and art stores in every new place I go, searching for unique materials to take home, but never miss a chance to reuse gift wraps and old magazines. Papercutting and collage techniques usually borrow from each other, and I love that both have allowed me to satisfy my curiosity and wanderlust.
You can visit the new page on this site I created solely for my papercut art. I hope you like what I created as much as I’ve enjoyed doing it!
Known for their emerald green plumage, quetzals were revered by Aztecs and Mayans alike. According to Mayan lore, the quetzal’s melody faded after the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The legend says the Quetzal will sing again, once the continent is fully free from colonial shadows.
Searching for new materials
When traveling, I’m always looking for local art stores where I can find unique paper for my art, making this material my new favourite souvenir.
So, if you have any amazing place to share, either in your hometown or somewhere you have traveled to, please send it my way!
