Paper Artistry: The Inspired Snip of Silhouettes

Inside Sharyn Sowell's studio, paper scraps litter the floor like salt and pepper. Our Victoria artist-in-residence for 2007 creates one-of-a-kind, hand-cut paper silhouettes with meticulous detail in this quaint cottage her sons built for her. Sowell's handiwork is evident throughout the space—she cut the doilylike curtains from a roll of butcher paper, and her silhouettes of children playing border the walls. She keeps bits of inspiration here and there, such as antique books, rubber stamps, clippings from vintage magazines, and a bird's nest, but her greatest muse may be the lush English garden blooming just outside.

To learn more about Sharyn Sowell and her incredible artwork, see the article, on page 52 in the January/February issue of Victoria magazine.

Photography provided by Sharyn Sowell