The lace paper-cut artist Hina Aoyama

Are you familiar with Hina Aoyama, who won the Grand Prix for the first time as an Asian at the 6th Triennale Paper Art International Exhibition at the Châtel Museum in Switzerland, and was also selected as one of “100 Japanese People the World Respects” by Newsweek?

Her works, known for their elegance, are referred to as lace paper-cutting, producing extremely intricate and delicate cutouts using only scissors. While paper-cutting Goshuin (sacred seals) are currently very popular, there is no doubt that she is one of the pioneers who sparked the paper-cutting boom.

Encounter

My encounter with Hina Aoyama dates back to 2009. At that time, Ms. Aoyama was living in Ferney-Voltaire, near Geneva on the border with Switzerland, and was a promising paper-cutting artist active in France and Switzerland (she referred to herself as a paper-cutting artist).

I happened to be browsing her works on her website when I received an email from her, just as I was thinking how wonderful it would be if her works could be reproduced with a laser cutter.

The email contained an attachment of a lace paper-cut image of flower petals, with a request for it to be laser-cut.

The challenge of pushing one’s limits

The opening of my reply email at that time was written somewhat excitedly, stating, “As far as I know, your works are some of the most delicate and intricate paper-cut pieces I’ve ever seen. It’s amazing. I wonder where the limits of reproduction with laser processing lie, but your works are undoubtedly a challenge to those limits.”

Creating cutting data from the images, cutting the paper as thin as possible up to the limits of its strength, and repeating the process of adjusting areas prone to tearing required a tremendous effort to finally achieve a result close to the original artwork.

Fifteen years have passed since that encounter, and I am still grateful for the opportunity to assist in the creation of her artworks.

New challenges

I have received a request for consultation on a new artwork combining carving on wooden boards with paper cutting. As you can see from the images, the artwork involves attaching paper-cut pieces onto wooden boards engraved with laser carving, accompanied by amulets from the Shutei Shrine. The carving on the wooden boards is also designed by Hina Aoyama.

The intricately designed paper-cut pieces and the wooden boards adorned with traditional Japanese patterns harmonize beautifully, evoking a sense of strength from the entire artwork.

It was a new challenge for our company to work with wooden boards, which we had little experience with in the past. However, we are delighted to have been able to create such a wonderful piece of artwork.

Regarding the material

The paper-cutting uses traditional Japanese paper called “washi,” which has a textured surface. The wooden boards with carving are made of cedarwood. Cedarwood is known for its smooth surface, strength against bending, and lightweight nature. It is favored as a carving material because of its softness, making it easy to work with.

The compatibility with laser engraving was also good, and I believe we were able to achieve clean engravings. Initially, we tested with cedarwood boards, but the cedarwood’s grain was too hard, causing unevenness in the engraving, which resulted in unsatisfactory results, leading us to abandon it. The base part is made from thinned Japanese cypress wood.

In our company, we have been using it frequently as a base for calendars recently, and it is popular as an eco-friendly product due to its fragrance, texture, and effective use of thinned wood. Combining these elements, we have created a wonderful piece of artwork.

For information on each artwork and purchasing inquiries, please contact us at the following:

Hina Aoyama Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hinaaoyama/

Hina Aoyama Brand Boutique https://hinaaoyama.amebaownd.com/

Hina Aoyama | HONEST Co., Ltd. https://honest.family/artist/aoyamahina/

Hina Aoyama Blog https://profile.ameba.jp/ameba/hinaaoyama

[Reference]

Idebiki Shrine https://www.idebiki.com/