Jennifer Falck Linssen

Artist Statement: "I create sculptures in handcarved paper, metal and natural woven elements, through which I explore the delicacy of nature, the beauty of line, and the transformation of light and space. Through investigation of both natural and man-made patterns, I seek to understand how pattern lends overall strength to an object, for example, the veining in plant leaves, the structure of a moth's wing, or the crystal formation of snowflakes. The interaction of light, carved patterns and shifting shadows play with the architectural shape, sculpting an ever-changing landscape in space around each piece.

Katagami, the ancient Japanese paper carving skill I use to create my sculpture, connects me with the past just as each paper bridge or link in my work connects to form a solid, yet open, structure. I bridge the gap between our own human scale, the minute and intimate, and the vast and grand by freezing a moment in time, immortalizing it in pattern, light, and shadow. Through these moments, I am comforted in seeing humanity reflected in nature's change, rebirth, resiliency, and endurance.

Selected collections and exhibition venues:
Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, (permanent collection); Longmont Museum, Longmont, Colorado (Jennifer Falck Linssen: Beyond Katagami, solo exhibition); Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California (Contemporary Katagami: Works by Jennifer Falck Linsse, solo exhibition); Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, California (The Shape of Things: Paper Traditions and Transformations); Mesa State College, Grand Junction, Colorado (Drawing With a Knife); Arts Incubator, Kansas City, Missouri (How to See the Forest for the Trees); Textile Center Of Minnesota, Minneapolis (Web and Flow); the Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (Beyond Fiber: New Forms, Alice Zrebiec juror); Wichita Center for the Arts, Kansas; Illinois Central College, East Peoria, Illinois (solo exhibition); Hope College, Holland, Michigan (solo exhibition 2010); Springfield Art Museum, Missouri (solo exhibition 2010).