People familiar with the work of local artist and author Nikki McClure marvel at her intricate paper-cut designs, created with nothing more than a sheet of paper and a precision blade. How does she do it? McClure will demonstrate her process at the Lacey Timberland Library on Saturday, September 29 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. She will also read from her children’s book “Apple,” which will be available for purchase and signing. The program is for all ages.
The book follows the travels of an apple throughout the year. A girl takes an apple from the pile her mother is using for pie, slips it into her school knapsack, and forgets it on the playground. The apple makes its way into the compost and then into the ground, where it sprouts. The bright red of the apple is the only color in the otherwise black-and-white illustrations. A single word complements each illustration, an approach recognizable by those who know McClure’s yearly wall calendars.
“The technical ability required to use a single piece of black paper and a pair of scissors to represent intangibles like the movement of air or a reflection on the water is a rare gift; parents and children can spend rewarding time together merely figuring out how McClure…has created positive and negative space,” states Publisher’s Weekly magazine.
Earlier this month McClure won a 2012 Washington State Book Award for “To Market, To Market,” her children’s book about farmers markets. McClure lives in Olympia. Her website is www.nikkimcclure.com.
The Lacey Timberland Library is located at 500 College Street. For more information, call (360) 491-3860 or go to www.TRL.org. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lacey Timberland Library.
