JMohr Studio is located in the beautiful state of New Mexico.
I combine humor and precise draftsmanship to create a style of artwork that is unmistakably my own. My images come from fairy tales, Southwest flora and fauna, cultural holidays and events, and everyday life. Many visual references as well as imagination help create visually pleasing images that tell a story.
December 2005: I was attempting to cut a paper snowflake for the holidays. I thought it was just alright. My other half (Mike) suggested that I do a paper cut snowflake of our 5 foot long iguana named Snidely Whiplash. Now this was a square piece of paper that I folded in half, then in half again, etc., just like I did in elementary school. I lightly sketched Snidely & began to cut with giant (well, regularly sized) scissors & Snidely turned out beautiful It was then that I realized I loved the stark contrast of black on white – bold imagery telling a story. This became an obsession with me – showing depth, shadows, and emotion using one color to tell the story & the background to hold it all together.
A week or so later I discovered a pair of scissors that fit my fingers but had very sharp and short 1-1/2” blades. This allowed for clean tiny cuts. I tried bi and tri-folded paper. I experimented with different weights and textures of paper before settling on a lightweight construction-like paper that is luscious to the touch, smooth, acid free, and available in many colors.
As my images grew in size, so did the amount of details and I ‘graduated’ to an exacto knife.
My subject matter is varied – flora and fauna of the Southwest, fairy tales of the Grimm persuasion, Day of the Dead images, and a spattering of others. I have done weekly farmers markets, many art fairs and shows, juried and not, with my cut paper art since I started. I was honored to be juried into the Hispanic Contemporary Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico since 2009. This years event brought badly needed rain!
My love of paper cutting has not abated over the years.
I reproduce some of my images onto note cards & silkscreened flour sack dishtowels in an effort to make my art more functional.
I also draw on the computer and cut with a laser cutter –some of my note cards are laser cut. This allows me the ability to reproduce highly detailed and individually cut notecards.
I still love and prefer taking a #11 exacto knife to paper and cutting. Most of my bigger images are knife cut.
What else? This has held my interest longer that watercolors, pencils, and sewing (and cooking! I am not a domestic goddess…) I work on my art around other commitments, sometimes til all hours of the night, occasionally I do make confetti instead of art….