Bella Swan

Paper-cut Artist · Providence, Rhode Island

b.swan@example.com  ·  (401) 555-0164  ·  doecuts.example.com

Of the Artist

I cut portrait silhouettes and layered paper scenes by hand, and have completed roughly 1,400 commissioned profiles over 12 years of studio practice. My work sits in 6 public collections in New England, and I still sharpen my own scissors.

Studio & Employment

Proprietor & Principal Cutter 2018–present

Swan Silhouette Rooms · Providence, RI

  • Cut an average of 130 sitter portraits per year, most finished within a 9-minute sitting.
  • Produced 22 layered shadow-box commissions for private clients, priced from $450 to $2,800.
  • Kept a 5-week commission waitlist steady across 4 consecutive years.
Resident Paper Artist 2014–2018

The Scissoret Gallery · Newport, RI

  • Held 3 solo exhibitions; the 2016 show, Profiles of the Bay, drew 4,100 visitors in 6 weeks.
  • Demonstrated freehand cutting at 40+ public events, including 5 museum evenings.
Conservation Assistant, Works on Paper 2011–2014

Ledgewood Atelier · Boston, MA

  • Surface-cleaned and rehoused 600+ 18th and 19th century silhouettes and cut-paper pieces.
  • Wrote condition reports for 210 objects ahead of 2 traveling exhibitions.
Teaching Artist, Scherenschnitte Workshops 2012–present

Fox Point Paper Guild · Providence, RI

  • Taught 90+ weekend workshops to about 1,100 students, ages 9 to 84.

Education

  • BFA, Printmaking
    Hollowell College of Art · 2011
  • Certificate, Paper Conservation
    Ledgewood Atelier Programme · 2013

Honours & Collections

  • Guild Medal for Freehand Cutting
    Fox Point Paper Guild · 2021
  • Works held in 6 public collections
    incl. Narragansett Historical Rooms
  • Craft Fellowship, $10,000
    Blackstone Arts Trust · 2019

Particular Skills