Waltraude Stehwien: Activities in Scissorcut and Folklore

Christmas card to celebrate the introduction of the Christmas tree to Canada

1985 to 1990 design and teaching of ancient art of scissorcutting. Commissions for cultural Christmas cards and calendars for national and local German associations.
1998 German Culture, Exhibition at Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Saskatoon
2002 Scissorcuts, Exhibition at Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Saskatoon
1990 to 2014, Scissorcut illustrations for SGC (SK German Council) newsletter and other publications, workshops in scissor cutting, folklore and German traditions.

Scissorcut for newsletter depicting a traditional toy workshop

Colorcut of a traditional German Christmas Market

About the Artist

Waltraude Stehwien is a German born artist whose first career path was learning the ancient art of puppetry in her father's marionette theatre. Her studies in stage design and graphic arts at the art academy in Halle, Germany trained her to switch readily between a two and three dimensional workspace.

After retirement from a varied career in puppetry and graphic arts, Waltraude returned to her love of another unique art, that of scissor cutting, or the German Scherenschnitt. (Schere = Scissor, Schnitt = Cut).

She has created a large variety of design, illustrations and even logos using this method, and is regularly called upon to give workshops in this unique art form.

Most recently, she has challenged herself to explore the beauty and vastness of the prairie and other Canadian landscapes. The linear perspectives and the often stark contrasts of winter scenes have inspired Waltraude to bring these sometimes intense feelings to the viewer with her scissors and a single sheet of black specialty paper.