Waltraude Stehwien: September 2019

Travels North

What a great way to celebrate the amazing Saskatchewan prairies!

Taking a trip to Shellbrook in the middle of minus 40 degree beauty, to visit the first of many exhibits of the travelling Scherenschnitt exhibit put on by OSAC, the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils.

It was quite apparent what inspired many of the motifs of the black and white landscapes by Waltraude Stehwien.

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.