Cut Paper Relief - Joey Bates

There are many styles of paper cutting; I find all of them quite beautiful and admire those who wield a craft knife with apparent ease (after much practice, of course). Joey Bates of Seattle brings another variety to the mix through his use of  a cut paper relief technique.

Of Stone, Mountains, and Fragility | cut paper and glue on toned paper | 18" x 22" | 2015

For the past six or seven years, Joey has been creating cut paper portraits and more recently, heavily floral pieces. Each art piece begins with a drawing. His work is extremely detailed, a style he says suits his temperament; he enjoys the tediousness and repetition.

Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis) | 2014 | Cut paper and glue

Have a look at this lovely video in which he explains his work. You'll also see many examples that are not on his website.


Joey Bates Profile from christian powers on Vimeo.

I noticed via Instagram that Joey mentioned final gluing is a stressful event... if he does it wrong there can be unsightly warping in the final piece, something that isn't apparent until the next day.

Christina och vitlejonen | cut paper and glue | 30" x 40" |2015

Christina och vitlejonen is currently on exhibit at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle through January 30, 2016 as part of the Charismatic Megafauna group show.

Separately cut pieces add up to many layers...

Christina och vitlejonen - Detail

Joey's BFA degree is in painting and I have to wonder if we'll see him doing more of that in the year ahead. Recently he mentioned paper cutting has its moments, but drawing is where it's at. I look forward to seeing new work via his website and Instagram.

Wind | 2010 | Graphite, ink, and gouache on cut paper | 16" x 22"