This past holiday season I visited friends and family in Florida where I was lucky enough to see an exquisite art piece created by today's featured artist, Christina Lihan of Fort Lauderdale. Because her paper cut sculptures are truly remarkable - she describes them as being about light and shadow, texture and detail - I knew immediately she would be a great fit for the Artist Spotlight series.
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| An assemblage at The Londoner Hotel, London |
Christina, please tell readers about yourself, your art education, and what led you to create the type of paper cut sculptures you are currently doing.
My mom was an art teacher and artist and my dad was a woodshop teacher and woodworker. As a kid, I always loved building things and drawing plans of my dream house. I became an architect, which I feel is a mix of my parents’ talents. I enjoyed that career for fifteen years, but because I missed making things with my hands, I started creating little cutout cards on the side.
In architecture school, I had taken a basic design class where we used paper board to make a bas relief from a Cubist painting, re-interpreting the perspective in three dimensions. That class and making 3-D models by hand informed my paper art career. Living in South Florida I was fascinated by Art Deco buildings in Miami Beach. The paper I used looked like stucco, so my first real paper art sculptures were of those Deco buildings.
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| Flatiron Prow Art Space, New York City |
The Leap to Full-Time Artist
I continued to expand and hone my skills manipulating paper and perspective. In the beginning, I focused on creating architectural collages, usually 2 to 3 inches deep, framed and hung on the wall. I used my architectural background to take apart the layers of a building, making those layers out of paper.
After being invited to join a prominent art gallery in Atlanta, I took the plunge to become a full-time artist. That was eighteen years ago, and I haven’t looked back.
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| Flatiron Prow Art Space, NYC (detail) |
I'm sure you must have favorite papers and tools... tell us about your choices, as well as your process.
I love the feel of paper, especially watercolor with its subtle texture. After experimenting with many types of paper, the one I love most is Fabriano Artistico 300lb Cold Press Extra White. I also use the same in 140lb as I need thinner layers in most of my work. I only use my hands, an X-Acto blade, and glue.
Although I use watercolor paper, all of my works are white. I play with the shadows and light. I like to think they are characters in my work.
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Uffizi Galleries, Florence
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For my process, I look at photographs of the subject, then I sketch out a perspective and enlarge it to the size of the completed piece to use as my cutting template.
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| Merchandise Mart, Chicago (example) |
From Framed Art to Large-Scale Installations
In the past seven or so years, I’ve expanded to large installations. I’ve applied and won some, and others have been commissioned. These include a 33-foot long installation for the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, which took five months to create and was abstracted from my usual realism.
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| Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale |
I was awarded an installation at the Flatiron Prow Art Space at the iconic Flatiron Building in Manhattan and an eight-piece permanent installation at The Londoner Hotel in London. My latest is a permanent immersive experience at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale.
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| Queensboro Bridge, New York City |
Do you have tips for those who you've inspired and might like to follow in your creative footsteps?
Residencies are an amazing outlet; they give an artist the time and space to create whatever comes into their head and heart. The other artists you meet and live with can change your career. I believe if you keep at it, work hard, and follow your intuition when you have self-doubt, you will find your vision.
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| King's Pines |
Where can people see your work?
In addition to the installation in the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, and eight assemblages in the lobbies of The Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square, London, I was recently awarded an exhibition that will be in place April - December, 2027 at the Terminal Gallery space in the Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
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| Christina Lihan |
Readers, a visit to Christina Lihan's website is well worth your time. You won't believe the incredible detail of many of her pieces. You might also enjoy this DesignBoom article that features her shadowbox sculptures. Christina is on Instagram: christinalihanart.
