Nikki McClure
Nikki McClure is an artist, children's book author and illustrator that specializes in the art of paper cutting. Created from a single piece of black paper, McClure cuts out images that narrate the relationship between people and nature. As she states, “I cut my images from black paper with an X-Acto knife. Everything is connected. It is all one piece of paper, yet now it holds a story.” Throughout her work, McClure displays various scenes of harvesting and preparing food. Her paper cut images express to the viewer the importance of the meals we consume and to appreciate our connection to natural living.
Together, 2019
papercut, 11 x 11"
There are a lot of chickens and less and less wild birds. This might be all that we have someday. Just us and chickens. This image is my son and a chicken we had for awhile. They both hatched the same day and since we were busy with a baby, we didn’t notice until the other chickens had pecked her near to death. My husband brought the little chick in and gave her Rescue Remedy and water, then tended to the chick and me and our son. The chicken lived in the garage all winter in a warm spot with a mouse for a friend. She was so tame that my son would walk over to her and touch her eyeball very gently.They would hang out. He in the dirt with her beside hoping he’d dig up something to eat. This was March of my 2020 calendar and the time when everything shut down. The theme Together resonated in many homes and communities. That by being separate, we were together.
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Convene, 2019
papercut, 11 x 11"
Every Winter my friends gather on a logging road to cut down Christmas trees. We make a fire beside the road and heat up tamales and cook oysters. The kids are carted off to find trees and snow. I take them on an “over the edge” hike where we tumble down a ravine and explore deep forest and then climb our way back up sometimes with chanterelles to roast on the fire. This image is December 2020 in my calendar. We won’t be able to do this winter feast this year even though it is outside, there are too many families to gather. So it will just be a picture and a memory of what was and what will be. I need to retitle it as Reconvene.
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Heal, 2019
papercut, 11 x 11"
October. Planting garlic time. It is an act of forethought. I am glad that I planted garlic in October 2019. I need those cloves of medicine and power for this winter. This image is from my 2021 calendar. This artwork is available for purchase.
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Adapt, 2019
papercut, 11 x 11"
This image is for March 2021, when we can emerge from NW rainy winter cold and begin to eat outside with friends again. Forks touching will be extreme intimacy.
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Gather, 2016
lasercut metal on opening garage gate at the University of Washington District Food Bank, Seattle, Washington, 15 x 45'
The artist was commissioned to create these steel gates by the University of Washington District Food Bank. She created the image using her usual method of cutting the image out of black paper. The paper was then scanned and converted to a vector file, which directed the cutting of the metal. McClure was inspired to add these trees to the urban environment to help create a sense of shelter, where people would want to gather.
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