Maude White

I believe very strongly that art can heal, both emotionally and physically. I believe that art can be a gentle conduit, a precious, living thing that can enter both creator and viewer and thereby extend them and connect them, making both feel larger and more beloved. I want to spread love and kindness in the world and I hope to do so through my work. I hope to encourage in the viewer emotional and mental associations with a distant or imaginary past that bring feelings of ease and peace. It is very important to me that my work should provide a safe space, even if that safe space is only an imaginary place the viewer is transported to in her or his mind. My work is created with love for the primary purpose of sharing love and encouraging love between others. When I cut paper, I feel as if I am peeling back the outer, superficial layer of our vision to reveal the secret space beneath. With paper cutting there are so many opportunities to create negative space that tells its own story. Letting the observer become present in the piece allows her or him to look through it. I have great respect for paper. When I cut, the thin membranous material reveals its strength to me. No matter how small my cuts the paper holds. There is a certain comfort in that, a comfort I enjoy. I feel that there are very few things in the world as reliable and constant as paper. Paper is everywhere and it has been telling stories for centuries.