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Artist information:
Mary Gaynier
Toledo, Ohio
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Mary Gaynier is showing at:
Peaches Bed & Breakfast Peaches Bed & Breakfast
29 Gay Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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Mary Gaynier
Artist bio: Mary Frances Gaynier is originally from LaSalle, Michigan. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Toledo in 1989, and she currently resides and works in Toledo, Ohio. Mary began experimenting with cut paper in 2001. She started exhibiting her paper cuts in 2005 and has since been accepted into over 60 juried national and international exhibitions, and has won awards for her work. She has also exhibited in numerous solo and group shows around the country. Since 2006, Mary has also conducted many hands-on paper cutting workshops for families around Ohio, and has created hundreds of scissor-cut patterns for families to enjoy.
Artist statement: My love for Scherenschnitte, or paper cutting, began in 2001 when I became engaged with making simple cut paper snowflakes at the winter holidays. A pleasant diversion became an obsession, and my simple designs evolved into a more complex mix of abstract patterns and identifiable images. I enjoy watching people examine my work, first from a distance, where they see a more abstract rhythmic pattern, and then up close, where, to their surprise, they might find a scene of a bustling city. The surprise element in my work is not only for the viewer but for me as well. I do not know exactly what each cut paper design will look like until I unfold it after all the cuts have been made. The repetition of the design creates a rhythm that takes on a life of its own, independent of the identifiable images within the design. That unexpected element of my work keeps it always fresh and exciting for me.
About the work:
Title: Aliens, Dragons and Dinosaurs, Oh My!

Art form: 2-D

Medium: Cut paper

Year created: 2009

Description of work: My entry consists of 15 paper cuts ranging in size from 18" X 17" to approximately 56" X 54". For the first time I am experimenting with creating paper cuts of monumental size. My designs are a complex mix of abstract patterns and identifiable images that come together in a circular or "snowflake" form.

Work statement: Visitors of the Artprize experiment will be able to view my own experiment with scale. My paper cuts will go from miniscule to monumental. Viewers will be provided a rare opportunity to experience a fresh, new and contemporary expression in the very traditional and culturally diverse art form that is cut paper. The narrative element of my work is humorous and entertaining. The exhibited body of work peruses the subject of earthbound E.T.s and other creatures dreamt up in the off-the-wall corners of my mind. I create narratives that are open ended, which invite the viewer to come to his or her own conclusions about the story being told. My work is intricately detailed and hopefully viewers will discover hidden surpises in each piece.
Technical details:
Work width: n/a
Work height: n/a
Work depth: n/a
Required venue ceiling: n/a
Required venue door height: n/a
Required venue door width: n/a
Required wall linear footage: 60 ft.
Required venue square footage: n/a
Additional considerations:
Audio/video needed: No
Electrical needed: No
Lighting needed: Yes
Internet access needed: No
Ground floor access needed: No
Indoor space needed: Yes
Outdoor space needed: No

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