Jessica Brown is a graduate illustrator who caught my eye with her beautiful cut paper works. I loved her eye for shape and tone as well as her affinity for melding tonal variations into works of design. He recent showing at the Amalgamate Graduate exhibition showcased a number of works utilising the medium of cut paper.
“Juicy” 2012, was a response when given three words; sexy, king and bicycle. With these words and a limited amount of time she came up with the above idea. It is a rear view of a cyclist produced with cut paper. The muted bluish grey tones serve to gently guide the eye around this work. The sleek rounded curves produce an organic feel to the work. Highlights in white cut paper give the figure form, while the sharp dark sections accentuate the edges of key areas such as the bike seat, arms and helmet. We are unable to exactly determine the sex of the person, just that they are mid-pedal. However due to the size of the hips one could presume that the person is female. The diagonal mid-tone shape; which runs from top of this piece to the bottom, creates a dynamic feel, accentuating the energy and effort of the figure.
“Whale and children” 2012, is an illustration from a picture book that Jessica Brown wrote and illustrated. In it a large blue whale is the central character. It is out of water and a number of children are playing around it. They seem captivated and excited by the size of the creature. The silhouetted shapes are shown in a number of poses; sliding down his back and looking quizzically under his body.
Composed entirely from cut paper shapes Brown has marvellously interpreted the form fo both the children and the whale. The shape of the mouth and the manner in which the eye of the whale gazes upon one of the children serves to bring an air of warmth and familiarity to the animal.
In both of her cut paper creations Jessica Brown has demonstrated sensitivity to her subject matter and her chosen audience. As a graduate she shows a lot of promise.
