Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Levan.
Hi Bianca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by telling us about your creative journey.
My creative journey has been incredibly non-linear. As a child, I didn’t start off wanting to be an artist. For me, my passion for papercutting arose out of a desire for self-expression. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I took a few oil painting classes, but that didn’t stick. I also engaged in other forms of self-expression, like music and writing, which I’m still passionate about, but didn’t form as a true practice.
In 2011, I went to San Francisco open studios for the first time. It was 3 floors of studios in a large building. With tons of artists, some open spaces, and some private studios; the wooden floors were spattered with paint and there was a beauty and messiness to it. Seeing the variety and amount of art was just intoxicating. So, soon after that, without any sort of art practice or medium, I started renting a 2-wall art cubicle. And there, I started exploring drawing, acrylics, and just other mediums.
Later that same year, I was at Green Apple Books, one of my favorite places, with wooden aisles so tall that you can’t see over them and creaking floors. Anyways, there was a book on an endcap that I happened to pick up. It was a book of contemporary papercut artists published by Chronicle Books. I thumbed through the pages and was transported. The pieces in there were the most beautiful things I had ever seen.
So, one day when I was in the studio, I decided to give paper cutting a try. My first paper cut was with a box cutter and a paper bag. It was a crude papercut, but even then I knew there was something there. It was a true “A-ha” moment. It was the first time I explored creative mediums that and the product was pretty close to what I had imagined. And, for me, that was so freeing, but also thrilling. That was Jan 2012, just about 11 years ago.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. As a completely self-taught artist, I struggle with comparing my work to others and feeling like it’s not as strong or impactful. But, that matters less and less to me after 11 years of papercutting and my constant curiosity to learn.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Each piece I make is hand cut using a scalpel blade and a single sheet of paper, frequently black paper. The process of papercutting is a form of emotional processing for me. While creating a work, I am reflecting on a question or experience in my personal life. I start with a blank paper and as I remove and extract pieces of paper bit by bit, an image begins to appear.
To me, the artwork and process of papercutting serve as a metaphor for discovering what’s beneath the surface or trusting the unknown. To me, papercutting feels like playing and experimenting with the presence or absence of something – an idea, paper.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to collaborate is to contact me via my website, biancalevan.com. Support can look like several things, from purchasing art to sharing my work with a friend, family member, or another art fan!
I also have a newsletter where I send out information about new work and upcoming shows. Support for the arts community, in general, is incredibly important too, so go see a play, buy a band’s album, or attend a book reading. Thank you in advance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://biancalevan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biancalevan/
