I’m sure most of us recall at some point in our childhood folding paper into squares and delicately snipping patterns with scissors to create something that looked like a primitive doily. I recall it was the end of term, junior school, Miss Burton’s class, the smell of freshly cut grass and the first promise of summer, when I sat deliberately paring triangles and rhomboids in the hope of making something half presentable to take home. This formulaic but effective process made it almost impossible to imagine anyone could create something as spectacular as the designs cut by artist Ivonne Carley.

Ivonne Carley makes beautiful and intricate artworks from cut paper. Based in San Diego, Carley’s interest in creating such art stemmed from spending time with her parents in Mexico during her formative years. It was then that Carley discovered she had a great liking for the traditional high contrast imagery of lino block printing by artists like José Guadalupe Posada, but was especially enamored by the elaborate designs produced by paper cutting or papel picado. In particular, Carley liked the many ornamental designs Mexicans prepared for celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Spool forward a few years and filter this childhood interest through a liking for Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, MC Escher, Bosch, and a great love for Halloween, and you will find Carley has finessed her interest into a fabulous world of beautifully dark and delightfully original designs.

Ivonne Carley has exhibited her work in group and solo shows—most recently in the exhibtions Reliquary and Toil & Trouble—and has several shows coming up. Check Carley’s website, Instagram, and Facebook page for more of her exquisite work.
 

 

‘As Above, So Below.’
 

‘Deliciously.’
 
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