FALLING LEAVES #1
hand dyed cut paper
5 x 4 in.
framed dimension: 6.25 x 5.25 in.
SOLD

DANCING ON THE WIND
hand dyed cut paper
15 x 21 in.
framed dimension: 17 x 23 in.
$890

APPLE ORCHARD
hand dyed cut paper
16.75 x 6.5 in.
framed dimension: 29.5 x 19 in.
$1,190

At first glance, a viewer would think Nancy Holt's work was an acrylic or watercolour painting. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the work is created with cut paper. The discovery often prompts people to ask how the creations are made.

Born and raised in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia , Nancy Holt attended Acadia University, from which she graduated with a teaching degree and spent 10 years teaching. For over 20 years Nancy has created artwork with fabric and paper. The seeds of her creativity with fabrics had been planted in her by her two grandmothers as a little girl, and they germinated, as her intense enthusiasm for fabric convinced her to make a career change from teaching to fibreart. It is the hands-on tactile nature of these mediums that she so enjoys. Coupled with that tactility is her joy of watching an image evolve and unify from hundreds of tiny pieces of hand-dyed fine paper, her medium of choice.

Her hand dyed papers are vibrant and rich in saturated colour allowing an endless colour palette. The papers themselves vary from dense mulberry and rice paper to the shearest vellums and tissues.

Initial sketches and colour choices are followed by a more detailed drawing. The image resembles a highly detailed puzzle. Every piece is marked with a reference letter and number and the individual shapes from the drawing are cut into separate templates.

The application process is next. An adhesive is applied to the back of the dyed papers before the cutting so that each unti is ready to be introduced into the composition. The templates are used to cut individual pieces with a very fine X-acto knife.

At this stage the paper shapes are placed on the master drawing and held in position by delicate silk pins. Usually working from left to right and top to bottom, when all the hundreds of pieces are positioned, the adhesive is activated with heat and all the elements are unified into a single whole sheet of paper.

A single work takes Nancy months and she completes 4 - 6 yearly. This extended time spent with each paper painting is a pleasurable period of sustained creativity.

Nancy has exhibited her work in solo exhibitions in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and has contributed to group shows in Halifax, Sackville (N.B.), Fredericton and the Moncton area. Her pieces find homes in collections in British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

ARTIST STATEMENT

There are so many things in life that are gifts to each one of us. Nothing exemplifies this more than those moments when, with camera in hand, my eye is guided to a quite unexpected image and an "OH MY" moment unfolds. So often what is being unveiled is the intricate surprising beauty of a common object. These photographs are the building blocks from which my artwork evolves.

After careful study of the images for compositional elements, they are, if needed, adjusted and sketched on vellum. The drawing forms the base on which the dyed paper will be layered. Vellum, rice, mulberry and acid-free tissue paper are hand dyed in a palette of colours reflective of the subject matter. The dyed paper is cut into small shapes and layered from light values to dark until the objects take their proper form and depth. The base coat of colour thus established, translucent dyed papers are cut and placed on top of this base. These sheer quality papers allow the colour on which they are placed to project through. The process is very much like that of a watercolourist who uses layers of transparent paint to build shape and design. In my artwork, the layers of paper replace the paint. When the artwork is complete heat is applied to unify the hundreds of paper pieces into a whole composition.

In many cultures receiving a gift implies not ownership but stewardship of the item. It is understood that the object will be passed along to another person. My artwork is a reflection of the images presented to me by whatever unseen force ensures I turn my head at these special moments to capture an image. In sharing my work with the public I hope to pass along the gift I am so grateful to have received.